On a trip to Kentucky with his brothers in 2023, Clay Calihan began coughing up blood. He packed up his things and headed back to Ohio, where he went to the Emergency Department at Kettering Health Hamilton. There, the staff ran multiple tests. After what felt like a lifetime, a nurse held Clay’s hand and told him she was “so sorry.” They found a large mass in his lung. “I couldn’t believe it,” Clay said. “That was the first thought I had.” Several biopsies revealed that Clay didn’t have lung cancer—he had skin cancer. The chances of having pulmonary skin cancer without exterior melanoma are extremely low, accounting for less than 0.01% of all lung tumors. Clay was a medical anomaly. His oncologist, Dr. Arun Sendilnathan, promised he would help him. But Clay was hesitant to believe it. “I told him I’m not a fan of doctors. I don’t trust them.” Because of the positioning of the mass, Dr. Sendilnathan explained that radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery weren’t options for treatment. Instead, Clay needed monthly immunotherapy. He quickly built rapport with the oncology nursing staff, singing for them during his visits. Clay also meets with Dr. Sendilnathan during every appointment. Although his appreciation for his oncologist grew slower than his appreciation for his nurses, after nearly two years, his opinion has shifted. “Respect is not given; it’s earned,” Clay said. “And the last time I saw him, I said, ‘I want you to know you have my respect.’” There’s no end date to Clay’s treatment, but recent scans have shown that his tumor is shrinking. And if making the five-minute drive to Kettering Health Hamilton once a month means he can continue tending to his fire, sipping warm cups of coffee, and spending time with his wife, then it’s worth it. (fb)

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit watchdog focused on patient safety, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 measures of errors, accidents, injuries and infections as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them. Kettering Health medical centers with an “A” Safety Grade this spring are · Kettering Health Hamilton · Kettering Health Main Campus · Kettering Health Miamisburg · Soin Medical Center · Kettering Health Troy (fb)