Story

For most, a new year is the time for a fresh start. For Becky Spray, it was the start of her cancer journey.

We are always happy to receive compliments from our patients.

Doc Smith always knew the risks, but not much can deter the 20-year-old from competing as a professional motocross racer. When asked about his most recent injury, he seemed to shrug and said, “It comes with the territory.”

In August 2020, Meagan Doran got the news that no one wants to hear, “You have cancer.” Meagan was only 36 years old and a mother of two young children. She had a significant family history of cancer, so she knew there was a chance she could experience it one day, but hearing those words is something you can never prepare for.

In March 2020, the world flipped upside down. For many, it was COVID-19 concerns, but for Navy veteran Jeff Hickerson, it was a battle with leukemia.

After more than 20 years of fainting episodes, veteran and former peace officer Rickey Mayfield received life-changing heart surgery in Tyler.

Just one week after giving birth to her fifth child, Maria Bell underwent life-saving heart surgery.

All survivors have one thing in common: hope. Without hope, you’ve given up the fight. Liana Fleming is the perfect portrait of a survivor. Fleming survived polio, a heart attack and multiple broken bones before being diagnosed with breast cancer.

We cannot speak highly enough of our own caregivers, especially as we are celebrating the Rehabilitation Center’s 25^th anniversary. But it’s always nice to hear it from someone else!

Harry O’Bryant recently attended our Pritikin Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation program in Tyler. Upon receiving treatment, O’Bryant wrote a letter to our administration letting us know about the exceptional care and education he was receiving from the cardiac rehabilitation team, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

At 77 years old, Janice McMakin wasn’t sure she would be able to handle open-heart surgery when she found out she needed her mitral valve replaced for a second time. Luckily, the cardiothoracic surgery team at the UT Health East Texas Cardiovascular Institute in Tyler had a new procedure in mind for her: the transcatheter mitral valve replacement.