Tag Archives: Alyssa Allen

Dates—nature’s sweetness

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Dates are a great way to add sweetness to a recipe—without adding refined sugars. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Alyssa Allen, Spectrum Health Beat


Craving something sweet? It may be tempting to gobble up old favorites like candy, chocolate, cookies and cupcakes.


But where does that get you? Lots of calories. Refined sugar. Virtually no nutritional value.


As an alternative, it may be time for you to consider one of nature’s sweet treats: dates.


Along with its caramel-like sweetness, this delectable fruit delivers a healthy dose of antioxidants, fiber, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6, plant-based iron and an array of other vitamins and minerals.


And it’s hard to go wrong with a natural food.


“There are a multitude of naturally delicious fresh and dried fruits, such as dates, that provide sweetness with fiber, lowering the glycemic load impact,” Spectrum Health dietitian Caren Dobreff said.


Dates vary by size and weight, so the nutrient information can vary widely. Larger dates can weigh up to 24 grams—and pack about half a gram of protein and just under 1.6 grams of fiber. Smaller dates can weigh about 8 grams and provide 6 grams of carbohydrate, 5 grams of natural sugars and less than 1 gram of fiber.


Dobreff said those smaller dates may be a better fit for those needing to watch their daily total sugar intake, even if it is natural sugar.

Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat


Dates work as a sweet treat on their own, but there are many ways to incorporate them into your cooking and baking, Dobreff said.


It’s one of the tricks she teaches in the Spectrum Health Culinary Medicine program.


“We take a recipe and we give it some interest and a little bit of sweetness, but not off the charts,” she said.


Eliminating refined sugars and replacing them with natural sugar, as found in dates, can help you recalibrate your taste buds to what nature intended for sweetness.


“I want people to have a real idea of what sweet is supposed to taste like,” Dobreff said. “All the added sugars, syrups and artificial sweeteners have given us an unrealistic idea of what sweet is supposed to be like.”


When using dates, Dobreff recommends using the whole date as opposed to products such as date sugar, which is made from dehydrated dates ground into a granulated sugar, or date syrup, which is made by boiling the dates and reducing the liquid to a honey-like consistency.


“The whole food is going to have higher fiber content, which is incredibly important when it comes to regulating your blood sugar level,” Dobreff said. “Added sugars and syrups have virtually no fiber, which has a stronger impact on our blood glucose level.


“And, as we all know, what goes up must come down—and then we have a sugar crash.”


Here are Dobreff’s tips for incorporating dates into your diet:

  1. Use them in baking to replace chocolate chips or candies. If you’re making homemade protein bars or energy bites, add dates for something different.
  2. Add dates to a leafy green salad or to a whole grain salad, such as farro or quinoa.
  3. For a finger-food snack, cut the date open butterfly-style and put peanut butter or almond butter inside. Kids love this one.
  4. Chop them and add them to roasted vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, tossed in balsamic vinegar. “It makes for a wonderful, healthy comfort food,” Dobreff said.
  5. Instead of raisins, add chopped dates to your hot cereal or oatmeal. Go a step further and add apples and cinnamon.
  6. Try these recipes from Spectrum Health’s culinary medicine classes: coconut pecan date rolls and roasted cauliflower salad with dates and golden raisins.
Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat

When shopping in the grocery store, you’ll find dates in the baking or produce section near the dried fruits and nuts. They’re usually offered as organic, too, if you desire.


Remember to remove the pits when you prepare them, Dobreff said.


Dates are a great way we can add nature’s sweetness to our cooking, all while avoiding refined sugars.


“I am hoping that people will think more about, ‘How can I make this dish taste good and use more of a whole food natural ingredient?’” Dobreff said.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.




Boots shopping 101

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Your choice of boots will play a big role in how your feet fare this winter. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Alyssa Allen, Spectrum Health Beat


It’s that time of year again—time to start thinking about what boots you’ll wear when you’re trudging through snow, slopping through slush and traversing the ice.


If you’re in the market for new boots, keep in mind these 10 tips from Brian Buchanan, DPM, a foot and ankle specialist with Spectrum Health Medical Group Foot & Ankle.

1. Your feet change in size as you age.

Your feet are not immune from the effects of aging.


As we get older, our arches tend to collapse, causing our feet to get longer and wider. With seasonal footwear like winter boots, it’s easy to end up in the wrong size. Don’t assume you’re the same shoe size as last year.


“Getting measured is very important,” Dr. Buchanan said. “This is potentially a big issue as people do more shoe shopping online.”

2. Too small equals cold feet.

If your winter boots (or ski boots) are too tight or too small, your feet get cold faster, which can become a serious issue. There should be room for air to circulate within the boot.


When you go to be measured at a full-service shoe store, try to go mid-day or mid-afternoon. As the day goes on, our feet swell, so a shoe that fits at 9am might be very tight at 6pm.

3. Boots with any size heel do not mix with ice.

Take this advice straight from a doctor who sees a lot of ankle fractures and foot injuries from slips and falls on the ice.


“With a winter boot, a heel is dangerous because it’s more unstable,” Dr. Buchanan said. “You have to be very, very cautious.”

4. Good tread equals good traction.

Make sure your boots are going to grip the ground.


The flat, slippery sole of fashion boots can be treacherous in slippery outdoor winter conditions, Dr. Buchanan said. The best tread will be on boots that are marketed for outdoor winter walking.

5. Boots with a pointed toe might look good, but they’re not good for you.

Boots that come to a point at the toe increase the rate of foot problems for women.


A sharp-pointed boot pushes the toes together, increasing bunion deformities and pressure points on the foot, Dr. Buchanan said.

6. Wrap your feet in warmth.

A winter boot should have the appropriate liner to keep your feet warm and dry. Look for waterproof, wool or sheepskin liners.

7. Two socks are better than one.

To keep your feet warm during extended periods of time in cold temperatures, consider wearing two pairs of thin socks rather than one thick pair to help prevent blistering, Dr. Buchanan said.

8. Keep an eye on your kids’ boots during the winter.

Children’s feet grow so fast that something that fits in November might not fit in February. Add to this the fact that kids tend to push the limit of how long they stay outside in the cold, and it can be a recipe for disaster.


Make sure their boots are big enough for air to circulate and keep their feet warm.

9. Outdoor conditions call for outdoor boots.

Wear fashion boots inside, for shorter periods of time during which you will not do much walking. Before going outside, change into winter boots designed for outdoor use.


“It really becomes a question of function of the shoe,” Dr. Buchanan said.

10. Happy feet lead to a happy body.

Robbing your feet of the support and care they need can lead to bigger issues in your knees, hips and back.


Start with a firm foundation with your winter boots, and you can ward off other ailments, according to Dr. Buchanan.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


4 things to know about backpack safety

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One size doesn’t fit all. Backpack safety and features should be considered before you purchase a new pack for your child. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Alyssa Allen, Spectrum Health Beat


It’s school backpack shopping time, and for kids that means checking out the cool new colors and designs with their favorite TV and movie characters, sports teams or brands.


But for parents, there’s far more to consider in picking out the perfect pack.


Books. Binders. Lunch. Snack. Water bottle. Gym shoes. Laptop. Even musical instruments. When you pile it all in—and add in the stray pens, long lost papers and random “treasures” collecting at the bottom—it’s easy to see how a child’s backpack can become a hefty safety hazard.


Jennifer Hoekstra, injury prevention program coordinator at Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, is here to help.

Backpack is best, but wear it right

A backpack is the best option for children and teens to carry all they need for a school day (rather than shoulder slings or messenger bags), because it allows them to distribute the weight across the strongest muscles of the body—the back and abdomen.


But, Hoekstra urged, they should wear it right, using both shoulder straps, rather than slinging it over one shoulder.


“It’s so much safer to carry the backpack with the weight distributed over the whole back,” she said.


If there’s just too much stuff to fit in the backpack, carry overflow (like musical instruments and sporting equipment) in a separate bag. Kids tend to carry things on their dominant side, but it’s important to switch from side to side to keep their spine in proper alignment and prevent “gravitational pull,” she said. One day carry it in the right hand, the next day, use the left hand.

Shopping tips

Hoekstra said parents should look for these things in a safe backpack—as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics:

  • a lightweight pack that doesn’t add a lot of weight from the pack itself (for example, leather packs can be much heavier than canvas)
  • two wide, padded shoulder straps; straps that are too narrow can dig into shoulders and cut off circulation
  • a padded back, for comfort and protection from being poked by sharp edges on objects (pencils, rulers, notebooks) inside.
  • a waist belt, which helps distribute the weight more evenly across the body using hip bones. (Hoekstra said parents should encourage their kids to wear the waist belt at all times. “It really is a good idea if you can teach kids from the beginning that this is an expectation,” she said.)
  • multiple compartments, which can help distribute the weight more evenly, rather than having just an open backpack where everything falls to the bottom.

Lessening the weight

According to doctors and physical therapists, kids should carry no more than 10 to 15 percent of their body weight in a backpack. Books and supplies can add up in a hurry, so Hoekstra suggests emptying the backpack each night to clear out any extras that have accumulated.


Many backpack manufacturers offer age and height recommendations for their products. This can be helpful in picking a backpack that’s the right fit for your child, but still be mindful of how much kids are piling inside.


Kids carrying big backpacks often aren’t aware of how much space they’re taking up. Show kids in a mirror what their loaded backpack looks like on their back, so they can take care not to knock over other kids on the bus or in the hallway, Hoekstra said.

Safety first

Do not have your child’s name printed or monogrammed on the outside of the backpack.


“Strangers may use that to call a child by name,” she said. “We, as creatures of habit, are very comfortable when someone knows our name, so people with bad intentions are going to use that to their advantage.”


Instead, find a place inside the backpack to label it. If you want to use the monogramming option offered by some manufacturers, use initials instead, she said.


Children walking to school or waiting at a bus stop should also have something reflective on their backpack, making them as visible as possible to passing motorists, Hoekstra said.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


5 ways to lose weight … without dieting

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The no-diet approach to weight loss involves pre-planning and stocking your home with healthy choices. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Alyssa Allen, Spectrum Health Beat


It’s a vicious cycle: Start a diet. Crave all the foods you cannot have. Fail. Feel guilty. Gain more weight. Start another diet…


According to Kristi Veltkamp, a dietitian at Spectrum Health, there’s good reason why diets don’t work.


“I cannot tell you how many people have said to me, ‘If I would just have been happy where I was before I started dieting,’” Veltkamp said. “Many people gain more weight with diets. There’s a constant desire there to lose the weight, but diets keep setting you up for failure.”


Thankfully, Veltkamp is here to help.

Here are her top 5 tips for how to lose weight … no dieting necessary:

1. Become more aware of when you are truly hungry and when you are full

“Most people don’t really listen to their bodies when they’re eating,” Veltkamp said.


There might be food in front of you, so you eat it all. Or you’re stressed or hurting, so you emotionally eat to distract yourself and cover the pain. Or you’re at a party where everyone’s eating, so you do, too.


She urges people to create a scale for their hunger, where 0 is starving and 10 is stuffed. You should eat at a 3—not too hungry and not too full. Also, remember that hunger is a physical feeling. Try to focus on when you are truly hungry and when you want to eat for other reasons.


To be more aware of when you’re full, she urges slowing down and focusing on eating. It takes most people 20 minutes to recognize when their stomach is full. Put your fork down between bites, sit down, reduce distractions (like television, driving or working) while eating. At home, put a small portion on your plate, and if you’re still hungry, go back for more. At a restaurant, put half of your serving in a box right away, split a meal with someone, or simply divide your food on your plate to give yourself a stopping point to check in and see how full you are.

2. Create a distraction box or list of things to do besides eating

It’s tough to combat the urge to emotionally eat.


“When you’re not hungry, and you want to eat, food is a distraction from what you’re really feeling,” she said.


So Veltkamp suggests creating other distractions besides food. Figure out your most vulnerable place for eating when you’re not hungry (for most people, it’s the room with your television). In that room, keep a box with things you can do, or that will create a distraction, when you want to emotionally eat: nail polish, bubble wrap, knitting, crocheting, adult coloring books, Sudoku, crossword puzzles or journal.

3. Be realistic

Have a realistic view of eating and willpower. If you want a cookie, don’t deny yourself. Eat one, not 12. Or eat something special once a week, not every day. Enjoy it, and don’t feel guilty about it. If you fail and binge, forgive yourself and move on.

4. Plan ahead

Planning meals and surrounding yourself with healthy food sets you up for success. Veltkamp said if you have planned and shopped for meals and snacks, you’re less likely to run out and grab fast food or unhealthy comfort foods.


Do weekly food prep on the weekends so healthy meals are easy to throw together during your busy times. She recommends Pinterest or Yummly to find recipes.

Surround yourself with healthy snacks that combine protein and carbs, such as crackers and cheese, peanut butter, yogurt, trail mix, granola bars, string cheese, hard boiled eggs, or her personal favorite—dark chocolate covered almonds.


Also, she urges people to plan for troublesome scenarios like restaurants and social situations. Look up restaurant menus before you go to plan what you will order. Think about what you will eat at a party before you go. Pick one dessert you want the most and eat that—not everything.

5. Respect yourself

Respect, not accept, where you are. Veltkamp sees many people who keep bashing themselves and punishing themselves for failed diets. A healthy mindset can help lead the way to a healthy body.


“If you can start to respect yourself, you can give yourself more freedom to get on with the non-dieting approach,” she said. “Guilt and shame just leads to more over-eating.”


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Relish the bounty of summer

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Farmers markets offer a great opportunity to introduce your kids to new types of fresh fruits and vegetables. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Alyssa Allen, Spectrum Health Beat


The growing season is here—and that means it’ll be easier than ever to get your fill of fresh fruits and vegetables.


But only if you keep seasonal fare top of mind.


Spectrum Health dietitian Caren Dobreff has plenty of tips to help you and your family make the most of summer produce.


It could pay off in your waistline and your wallet.


During the off season, fresh fruits and vegetables are often harder to find and more expensive, given the steeper costs for transportation and logistics.


“Buying fresh fruits and vegetables in season and locally is much more cost effective,” Dobreff said.


Local food pantries and community and government organizations also run programs that make fresh items accessible to everyone, regardless of income.


Also, consider yourself fortunate if you live in a state that values the agriculture industry and local farmers markets.


“(You’re) able to capitalize on those nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables as we go into the growing season,” Dobreff said.


That’s good news all around, as the list of the health benefits from a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is long, Dobreff said. It includes lower risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, some cancers, diabetes and digestive problems.


An added benefit to eating fresh: slimming down.


“Weight management can be an outcome without it being the primary goal,” Dobreff said.


Under the current guidelines, the typical 2,000-calorie-a-day diet calls for about 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit. For children ages 13 and younger, the guideline varies by age—anywhere from 1 to 1 1/2 cups of vegetables and the same for fruit.

Dobreff’s 5 tips to highlight the summer bounty:

1. Keep it in sight

Make bowls of fresh fruit visible in your kitchen and keep prepared, chopped vegetables easily accessible in the refrigerator.


“We eat with our eyes and we are cued or prompted with foods that are ready to eat and easily in reach and visible,” Dobreff said.

2. Tweak recipes

Substitute traditional, all-meat dishes with vegetables.


Make a meatloaf using lean beef or ground turkey and replace half the meat with diced, cooked vegetables such as onions, mushrooms, zucchini or bell pepper. Substitute half the pasta in macaroni and cheese with broccoli, or half the ground beef in spaghetti sauce with mushrooms.

3. Prioritize plant-based

How about meatless Mondays? Try a new plant-centered recipe each week, such as broccoli salad with balsamic vinegar, nuts, diced red onions, garbanzo beans and diced apples. Another option: veggie burger with lettuce, tomato and sliced red onion on a toasted whole grain bun.


The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers a simple tip: At every meal, fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables.

4. Involve the kids

Drum up excitement in your kids by getting creative with fruits and vegetables.


Visit local farms where you can pick your own strawberries, blueberries, cherries or other produce. Make trips to the local farmers market so your kids can talk to area growers about their foods.


Help your kids plant a garden or, even easier, put together some patio pots.


“Bell peppers, tomatoes, green beans and peas are great patio growers and are easy to maintain,” Dobreff said.


Find a local cooking class to take with your family. At home, have the little ones pick out a new recipe that features fruits and vegetables—and then involve them in meal preparation.


“If your kids struggle with eating whole fruits and vegetables, remember that kids’ palates are sensitive and it can take over nine or 10 times of trying a new food before it’s accepted,” Dobreff said. “Don’t give up. Let a little time pass and try again.”

5. Get closer to the land

Join a community supported agriculture organization—a CSA—or take advantage of local farmers markets.


By getting closer to the land, you learn more about what’s in season. You can then incorporate these findings into your meal planning.


In Michigan, for example, asparagus is an early arrival in May and June, followed by lettuce and greens, sugar peas, radishes, beans, peppers, tomatoes and more. Some vegetables, like Brussels sprouts, potatoes and squash, are available well into the fall.


Sage advice: Get outside and start enjoying the benefits of the growing season.


“Successful healthy eating patterns are sustainable, easy to incorporate into the long haul and have stood the test of time,” Dobreff said. “Equally important is that they are backed by research and evidence.”


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Too sick for school?

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It’s that time of year again, when a cold or other bug could leave you wondering whether your kiddo should go to school or not. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Alyssa Allen, Spectrum Health Beat

 

They are scenes every parent knows well during the school year:

  • You’re awakened in the middle of the night by the distinct sound of vomiting.
  • Your child walks into the kitchen one morning complaining of a sore throat and fever.
  • Your child doesn’t want to eat his breakfast because his tummy hurts.

It’s not always easy to choose between sending your child to school and keeping him home. As it turns out, even those with a medical degree will tell you it’s not an exact science.

 

“There is not a nationally accepted agreement of what the absolutes are for when your child should be kept home from school,” said Bill Bush, MD, pediatrician-in-chief at Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

 

Dr. Bush said the American Academy of Pediatrics and most pediatric offices provide guidelines to help parents determine if their child should be seen by a doctor, but there’s not necessarily anything to help them choose between a school day and a sick day.

 

“It’s complicated,” Dr. Bush said. “If this was really easy, then someone would have written a book that says, ‘If you have X, then you should do Y.’

 

“Every family is in a different situation,” he said. “We all know families who send their kids to school with lots of illnesses. And then there are families on the other side that will, with the mildest symptoms, keep their child home from school and say they have to be completely well before they return.”

 

Parents should also check with their school district to see what guidelines are in place for such cases. Some schools have more specific parameters than others.

Dr. Bush has some tips for parents choosing between a sick day and a school day:

  • Fever: What’s considered a fever? For school-aged children, generally 101 degrees or higher is a fever. Keep your child home until he is fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine. “While it does depend on what the fever is associated with, it’s a good rule of thumb to stay home for another 24 hours to give your child time to be better prepared to go back to school, but also to spread fewer germs to the other kids,” Dr. Bush said.
  • Strep throat: If your child has tested positive for strep throat, keep him home until he has been taking antibiotics for 24 hours.
  • Vomiting: Your child needs to stay home until at least 24 hours has passed since he last vomited.
  • Runny nose and cough: If a child’s coughing is disrupting class or keeping him and the other kids from concentrating, he should stay home and see a doctor to determine the cause. Dr. Bush offers a great tip: Ask if your child can actually learn anything based on how he’s feeling. A child with mild symptoms—a stuffy nose with clear discharge, or a mild cough—is likely able to go to school.
  • Head lice: Any child with active lice needs to stay home and be treated. But, Dr. Bush said, many schools have revised their rules to modify the nit-free policy. Check with your school.
  • Pink eye: A child with a diagnosed bacterial eye infection needs to stay home until he has been treated with anti-bacterial eye drops for 24 hours. Dr. Bush said the vast majority of eye infections are viral, not bacterial, and therefore do not require eye drops. Children with viral eye infections producing some discoloration and a small amount of clear drainage should be fine to attend school. A doctor can help determine what kind of infection your child has.

Dr. Bush urged parents to use their pediatrician’s office as a resource when their child is sick.

 

“Most doctors’ offices are well equipped to have parents call and talk to the nursing staff to make triage decisions,” he said. “If you have kept your child home from school and are not sure what the next day is going to bring, call your doctor’s office. We expect those calls and we expect to talk to a lot more families than we see in a day.”

 

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

 

‘Living a better life’

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By Alyssa Allen, Spectrum Health Beat

 

Photos by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat

 

Matthew Stone didn’t need to look any further than the faces of his two children for motivation to lose weight and live healthier.

 

“You want to see these little people grow up and you start thinking about, ‘What’s going to happen to me?’” Stone said. “I realized that I cannot expect someone else to take care of me, I need to start taking care of myself.”

 

With the support of his wife, Kristin, and his two children—Henry, 6, and Evelyn, 3—Stone started making big changes.

 

In July 2016, at the age of 33 and pushing 400 pounds, Stone had gastric sleeve surgery to start his weight-loss journey.

 

He has since lost more than 150 pounds, weighing in at 232 pounds. He eats well and exercises six days a week, including lifting weights, running and cycling.

 

“I always say that it’s not that I didn’t have a good life before, but now I am living a better life,” Stone said.

 

Last year, when he laced up his running shoes for the Spectrum Health Danish Dash in Greenville, Michigan, it had been his first time competing in an official organized run. By the time he competes in the race again this year, on Aug. 18, he’ll have some other 5K races under his belt.

Making changes

Stone said he had always been a big but active kid. Growing up in Midland, he remembers shoveling his dirt driveway in the winter so he could play basketball.

 

He also played high school sports. As a sophomore, he was a 6-foot-1, 300-pound athlete.

 

Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat

But the weight kept creeping up.

 

“It doesn’t seem like much each year, but then you look back and you’re up 50 pounds,” he said.

 

Over time it became more difficult to ignore the signs that something needed to change.

 

He married in 2007 and it soon became a growing challenge to keep up with his two young children. He couldn’t buy life insurance to protect his family—his weight made it cost-prohibitive. He had to take medication for high blood pressure.

 

He then experienced a liver issue, which turned out to be the start of fatty liver disease. His weight, meanwhile, restricted what he could accomplish in the weight room.

 

“At age 33 I was OK, but it was only a matter of time before I would end up on a bunch of meds,” Stone said. “My body was showing signs it couldn’t keep up.”

 

He tried to diet but success proved elusive. He’d get discouraged when he didn’t see results.

 

“I realized that you can’t out-exercise a bad diet,” Stone said. “I can do a lot more damage with my mouth than I can out-do with my body.”

 

Feeling like he was “chasing his tail,” he signed up for a consultation with a bariatric surgeon.

 

In July 2016 he had gastric sleeve surgery at Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital.

 

“I really felt like the surgery was the first step, because when you’re pushing 400 pounds, I knew I was limited, but I didn’t fully understand how limited I was by the weight,” Stone said.

 

He started off easy, first by walking and then going to the gym and jogging on the treadmill.

 

“From there, it has taken off,” Stone said.

 

His current routine is six days of exercise, including four to five days of 60 to 90 minutes of weight lifting at Fresh Start Fitness in Greenville. He also gets in one or two runs per week—each about 3 to 5 miles—and about 30 minutes of cycling on the Flat River Trail or the stair stepper at the gym.

 

He follows a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet. He recently eliminated all sugars, getting all his carbs from vegetables.

Transformation

Stone’s body has indeed changed. He went from a size 56 pants and XXXL shirts to a size 38 and large. He actually enjoys shopping now.

 

At the beginning, he would catch his reflection in a mirror and not recognize himself.

 

Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat

But has he really changed? It’s one question he reflects on frequently. He looks to his wife to help him process it.

 

“I know that divorce rates are high for people who have big weight loss after surgery,” Stone said. “I ask my wife, ‘Have I changed? Let me know if you think I’m changing.’”

 

As an optimistic, outgoing person, Stone feels more comfortable in his skin now.

 

“I feel like my body matches my personality now, that it matches who I really am,” Stone said.

 

He works as a football coach at Greenville High School and as an associate pastor at Greenville First Church of God.

 

He said his faith and the strong support system from his family and community have helped him in this journey.

 

“I see this as part of being a better steward of who I am and what I have,” Stone said.

 

He also hopes he’s providing a good example for his children and his football players.

 

“For too many years, I just didn’t want to deal with it and make the commitment,” he said. “It’s good for everyone around me and good for me to see this is how we live better. Not that I didn’t live good before, but this is better.”

 

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

An early catch

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By Alyssa Allen, Spectrum Health Beat

 

Photos by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat

 

Last September, Harvey Hasart went to his primary care doctor for what he thought would be a normal annual physical.

 

Looking back, he credits that day with saving his life.

 

His doctor, Arashdeep Litt, MD, an internal medicine doctor with Spectrum Health Medical Group, suggested he undergo lung cancer screening.

 

For anyone age 55 to 80 who is at high risk of lung cancer, the Spectrum Health Lung Mass and Cancer Care Multispecialty Team early detection screening program recommends one low-dose CT scan each year for a minimum of three years.

 

As a former smoker, Hasart qualified. He remembers the day 50 years ago he caught his older brother smoking.

 

“He made me start so I wouldn’t tell Dad,” Hasart said.

 

A few days after his appointment with Dr. Litt, Hasart went to Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial Hospital in Fremont for his CT scan. Within 24 hours, Dr. Litt’s office called. They had found a suspicious nodule.

 

It was an early catch, which is a big advantage in fighting lung cancer.

 

“The idea with the screening is that we can diagnose it when it’s more treatable,” said Marc McClelland, MD, a Spectrum Health pulmonologist.

 

Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat

Lung cancer tends to have poor outcomes because it usually gets diagnosed at an advanced stage, Dr. McClelland said. The disease typically does not have any symptoms until it has advanced beyond stage one or two.

 

Since its creation in 2015, the lung cancer screening program has identified 33 cases of lung cancer and nine cases of other kinds of cancer, including kidney and liver. Nineteen of the lung cancer cases were found in the earliest and most treatable stage, stage one.

 

The program is currently following 728 patients with annual CT scans.

Harvey’s journey

A few days after receiving the bad news, Hasart met with the Lung Mass and Cancer Care Multispecialty Team. The group of cancer specialists includes a diagnostic radiologist, medical oncologist, pathologist, pulmonologist, radiation oncologist, thoracic surgeon, nurse and social worker, all coalescing to offer coordinated care for patients like Hasart.

 

The next step, a PET scan, revealed the nodule and a lymph node looked suspicious and needed biopsy.

 

Hasart’s case grew more complicated yet. Within days of his PET scan, he experienced chest pain on the golf course. He ended up needing a heart stent and he had to regularly take a blood thinner.

 

The multispecialty team thought it best to admit Hasart to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital for the biopsy, which allowed them to switch blood thinners and monitor his heart closely, Dr. McClelland said.

 

The results of the biopsy held more bad news: small cell lung cancer.

 

Small cell lung cancer makes up only 10 to 15 percent of all lung cancers. It is known for growing rapidly and spreading quickly, although it typically responds well to chemotherapy and radiation.

 

Dr. McClelland said the fact that Hasart’s cancer was small cell rather than the more common non-small cell cancer surprised him and the other specialists on Hasart’s team. It didn’t appear to be small cell originally, he said.

 

“That’s the beauty of the lung (multispecialty team),” Dr. McClelland said. “As long as I have been doing this, no case is the same as any other case. There’s no textbook in the world that could include the extensive variety and depth of what we see, so that’s why the team is so valuable.”

 

Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat

The team meets together on a regular basis to discuss each case, allowing for effective communication and more streamlined care. This ultimately means patients get answers faster, sometimes with same-day biopsies and results, Dr. McClelland said.

 

The week after Thanksgiving, Hasart started four rounds of chemotherapy at Spectrum Health Cancer Center. The day after Christmas, he started radiation. Both steps were successful fighting the cancer in his lungs.

 

When a scan then revealed a small lesion on his brain, the multispecialty team opted for him to receive radiation treatment to his brain, Hasart said. It’s common for small cell lung cancer to spread to the brain. In early May, a post-radiation brain scan showed the lesion was gone and there was no more evidence of cancer.

Serendipity

Hasart’s girlfriend, Deb Bisel, has been at his side throughout this journey. The two met online when Hasart lived in Wisconsin and Bisel in Newaygo, Michigan. They dated long distance a few years before Hasart retired and moved to Newaygo in November 2016.

 

Bisel lost her husband of 26 years, Ned, to lung cancer in 2011. By the time they found his cancer, it was too late to do much.

 

In a serendipitous twist, Bisel works for Spectrum Health as the manager of cancer program compliance. In this role, she helped develop the lung mass and cancer multi-specialty team. Bisel also helped plan a symposium for primary care physicians to learn more about cancer screening, including lung cancer. Dr. Litt attended that symposium.

 

“We are so thankful (Dr. Litt) ordered the CT scan, and we think it saved his life,” Bisel said. “This validates how important this stuff is.”

 

Those eligible for the screening program are active smokers with a history of 30 or more pack years and former smokers who have quit within the past 15 years. (Pack years is calculated by multiplying packs per day by years smoked.)

 

Patients with lower risk who do not meet those guidelines may speak with their doctors about whether they would benefit from screening outside of the program, Dr. McClelland said.

 

Patients like Hasart, who have quit smoking, can sometimes be forgotten, Dr. Litt said.

 

“This reinforces my faith in primary and preventive care,” Dr. Litt said. “You want to intervene before things go out of control, before things go in the wrong direction.”

 

Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat

Dr. Litt grew humble when she heard Hasart credited her with saving his life.

 

“I was doing my job as any good primary care physician should be doing,” she said. “I’m grateful and thankful he thinks highly of me, but mostly I am grateful he is doing well.”

 

Hasart is now focused on enjoying his retirement. He works part-time driving cars to the east side of Michigan for auto dealers. Most of the time, however, you will find him on the golf course or in the kitchen baking or cooking.

 

His last day of chemotherapy treatment was Valentine’s Day. He couldn’t wait to get home to make lobster dinner for Bisel.

 

That day, Bisel’s assistant, Diane Ivy, came down from her office in the cancer center with a celebratory gift for Hasart—a mix of cookies, a chocolate rose, a teddy bear and other goodies.

 

“I just wanted to come and see you for the last day,” she said.

 

The teddy bear, she said, was for “whenever you need a hug and Deb is not there.”

 

As Hasart readied to leave, a nurse wished him well and asked how he felt.

 

“I don’t feel sad, that’s for sure,” he said.

 

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.