Preventing Cancer One Grant at a Time
Since 1960, Parkland Memorial Hospital has played a pivotal role in Charlotte Williams' life, starting with helping bring her into the world and continuing to support her ever since.
A constant in her life, Williams exudes an “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality that enchants her to return to the hospital whenever medical work is needed. “I’ve never had a problem with Parkland,” she said. “I’ve had excellent doctors, then and now.”
Williams is no stranger to healthcare, previously working as a home care worker for 12 years. Now a housekeeper at a senior living facility, her self-sufficiency and independence are qualities she’s most proud of. Qualities that saw her almost forgo preventive lung cancer screening because in her eyes, if she couldn’t make it happen, no one else could. “I do anything and everything that needs to be done by myself.”
But an unanticipated opportunity soon changed her circumstances for the better.
The 64-year-old Dallas native was recently the beneficiary of the American Cancer Society’s Get Screened Capacity Building Project Grant alongside Parkland’s Self-Pay Charity Discount Program after concerns of service costs saw her cancel future appointments.
Returning to a Familiar Place
With doctor appointments, dental work, kidney stone surgery and the births of her now-adult children at Parkland, it would be an understatement to say that Williams is familiar with the hospital.
“It’s all I’ve ever known.”
Despite not feeling any symptoms herself, Williams received a referral from her doctor to get a CT scan due to risk factors such as being over 50 years old and having a history of smoking for over 20 years. According to healthcare providers at UT Southwestern Medical Center, the most common cause of lung cancer is cigarette smoking, seen in about 80 to 90% of such cases.
After receiving her first CT scan on July 24, 2023, Williams had a follow-up appointment that was scheduled for the following March. She ultimately cancelled due to a miscommunication about the cost with no plans of rescheduling in sight.
Lung Cancer Screening Program Coordinator Nataly Reed reviewed Williams’ situation, discovered that the CT scan would be covered through Parkland’s Self-Pay Charity Discount Program and reached out with hopes of her continuing her appointments.
“We called her after doing a deep dive and assured her that the costs of her screening would be covered,” said Reed.
Williams was extremely appreciative, quickly rescheduled her appointment and found herself back into the thick of things.
Importance of the Grant
In addition to preserving Williams’ health, the grant also serves as an allegory due to the disenfranchised nature of lung cancer funding.
In 2019, lung cancer was allocated just over $300 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), less than half the funding provided to cancers such as prostate and breast cancer. Lung cancer research has been underfunded for years despite being the leading cause of cancer deaths.
“We usually don’t see much funding for lung cancer screening, but that’s changed in the last couple of years through advocacy from other nonprofits,” Parkland Cancer Program’s Global Manager Andrea Semlow said. “This is our first grant that allowed us to cover screening.”
The help didn’t stop there as another scan was needed in November 2024 and this time the ACS Get Screened Grant stepped in, covering the costs. So far, so good, as all of Williams’s scans have come back benign, meaning noncancerous, with no malignant or uncontrolled growth in her lungs.
She referred to her scans and the wait for results by saying, “Let go and let God.” She added, “So far, nothing’s growing, and I thank God for that.”
Bridging the Gap
In the meantime, Williams is proud to still be alive with a sane mind and able body, and any help that Parkland offered along the way does not go thankless.
“I’ll recommend anyone to Parkland, that’s where I’ll always be.”
She’s doing her part to ensure her health remains as up to par as possible by cutting down on her smoking and engaging in physical activities such as walking and bowling.
The work from Reed, Semlow and countless others is part of an areawide Parkland outreach effort to build a more symbiotic relationship with the community by reaching out, establishing trust and providing care.
“There’s activities and events that we hold to encourage engagement with the community such as the younger generation,” Semlow said. “We’re building conversations around tobacco, nicotine cessation and vaping to make sure people are aware of those potential dangers.”
Prevention is still the greatest protection against diseases, and spreading the word is instrumental in taking control of your health. Whether it is a lifestyle and diet change, screening or an operation, resources are becoming increasingly accessible for those in need.
Williams was the first beneficiary of a lung cancer screening grant, but hopefully, she’ll be far from the last.
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