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The time between Debbie’s diagnosis and surgery was less than two weeks.
fixes empty view field issue
Debbie’s family helped support her during her surgery, both at the hospital and at home.
fixes empty view field issue
“I just kept going forward. And I’m so lucky.”
fixes empty view field issue
Debbie quit smoking when her first granddaughter was born. An ultrasound kept her motivated.
fixes empty view field issue
Debbie’s Chihuahua is an important member of her support system.
fixes empty view field issue
“I was just so thankful that it was found. I’ll tell everybody my story.”
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Debbie and her husband have owned their towing business for more than 30 years. Their family helped keep it running while she recovered.
fixes empty view field issue
After her diagnosis, Debbie’s husband bought a new truck to keep her away from cigarette smoke and fumes.
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“It makes you feel good knowing that you have so many people love and care for you.”
Debbie Skaggs

“I wanted to watch my granddaughter grow up.”

“All I focused on was getting rid of the cancer. I didn't want it.”
Debbie pauses for a moment in front of a bunch of framed photographs. She's looking at a framed print that says \
The time between Debbie’s diagnosis and surgery was less than two weeks.
Debbie leans against the Gold City Towing office reception desk while Chuck sits in the chair behind her and smiles.
Debbie’s family helped support her during her surgery, both at the hospital and at home.
Debbie smiles at her husband.
“I just kept going forward. And I’m so lucky.”
Debbie holds a framed photo of the sonograph of her granddaughter.
Debbie quit smoking when her first granddaughter was born. An ultrasound kept her motivated.
Debbie holds and smiles at her chihuahua wearing a coral colored knit sweater.
Debbie’s Chihuahua is an important member of her support system.
A white decal on Debbie's vehicle that says \
“I was just so thankful that it was found. I’ll tell everybody my story.”
Chuck answers the phone at the Gold City Towing office.
Debbie and her husband have owned their towing business for more than 30 years. Their family helped keep it running while she recovered.
Debbie settles into the passenger seat in her husbands truck while he sits in the drivers seat.
After her diagnosis, Debbie’s husband bought a new truck to keep her away from cigarette smoke and fumes.
Debbie holds her chihuahua and smiles for a group photo with her family at the Gold City Towing yard.
“It makes you feel good knowing that you have so many people love and care for you.”

In July of 2017, Debbie Skaggs was diagnosed with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) by her hometown doctor. She was simply instructed to use an inhaler for the rest of her life. But Debbie was unsettled by this diagnosis, and she didn’t believe she had COPD. She decided to reach out to Dr. William Cundiff, a pulmonary specialist at Hardin Memorial Hospital in Elizabethtown.

Dr. Cundiff discovered that Debbie’s hunch was right: she did not, in fact, have COPD. He recommended going one step further by doing a low-dose CT scan of her lungs—a screening for early-stage lung cancer recommended for people in Debbie’s age range with a history of smoking.
Debbie was a smoker in her twenties, up until her first granddaughter was born. “That was my incentive to quit smoking. I wanted to live longer, to be able to watch my granddaughter grow up and watch her through everything. She was my goal.”

“[After the scan], Dr. Cundiff brought us in—my sister, my husband, my daughter and my son went in there with me that day. That's when he informed me I had lung cancer and that he was going to go ahead and direct me to a surgeon.”

Debbie was diagnosed on November 29, 2017. The minimally-invasive surgery to remove the cancer was performed just twelve days later by Dr. Jordan Miller, a thoracic surgeon at Markey Cancer Center. Hardin Memorial Hospital’s relationship with the Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network provided Debbie with a seamless coordination of care between the two facilities. Fortunately, Debbie’s cancer was caught early, so she required no chemotherapy or further treatment after her surgery. Her husband, brothers, sister and children—collectively, "Team Debbie"—supported her every step of the way.

Debbie was released to go home to her family just five days after surgery, allowing her to be home for the holidays. While she was recovering, her nephew and brother-in-law helped run the family business so that Debbie’s husband, daughter and granddaughter could be by her side. 
Through the unconditional support of her family, words of encouragement from friends and relatives on Facebook, and her own perseverance, Debbie has proven to be both a fighter and a survivor. By taking her health into her own hands—trusting her gut, seeking a second opinion, and agreeing to the screening—she feels like she may have saved her own life.
“I had no symptoms. They said, if my cancer hadn’t been found, in four or five years, it could’ve gotten a hold of me. I could be walking around right now with cancer and not know it. I’m just so thankful that it was found. Whether you're a smoker, a past smoker or a present smoker, get the screening done”
Produced by UK HealthCare Brand Strategy

Topics in this Story

    Cancer-Moms