Avis Porter

Avis Porter of Thaxton experienced the importance of the connected care provided by North Mississippi Medical Clinics.

In August 2017, Porter noticed her side was hurting, but attributed it to working outside three mornings in a row. Eventually, she made an appointment to see her primary care provider – Dr. Andrea Warren at Pontotoc Medical Clinic, who sent her to have a CT scan at NMMC-Pontotoc.

Later that day, a nurse called and told her there was no injury to her side, but that the CT scan showed a shadow of a mass on her lung. She was then referred to Pulmonary Consultants in Tupelo, where she learned she had a mass in each lung.

Shortly thereafter, she began chemotherapy treatments for stage 4 lung cancer at NMMC Hematology & Oncology.

“I have multiple treatments, appointments, scans and biopsies at NMMC facilities, and I am very happy with the way my treatment is going,” Porter says. “At my last scan my cancer had grown only slightly and my lymph nodes were clear.

“The Lord has blessed me a lot. When I was diagnosed, I was told I had about 18 months to live, but I told my doctor he didn’t know what a fighter I am.”

Now, the 82-year-old follows her doctors’ instructions closely and is very active.

“I can work for more than two hours at a time in my yard,” she says. “My friends who know me best say it looks like nothing is wrong with me. I have actually gained some weight during my treatment – I look very healthy.”

She has been named a Lung Force Hero by the American Lung Association and has traveled to Washington, D.C. to encourage Congress to fund lung cancer research.