Mercy Medical Airlift Flies Cancer Patient for Treatment When Shirley H. was diagnosed with breast cancer this past December, she and her husband, Duane, were devastated. The couple lives in Black, Alabama, near Dothan. Duane’s father has been battling cancer for 10 years, and Shirley’s mother also has the disease, but in her case, none of the different treatment regimens prescribed have succeeded in “getting the cancer under control,” Duane said.

The Cancer Center in Arlington, Texas, was recommended for its high success rate in sending cancer into remission, and Shirley insisted that “she had to go to Texas. She was not willing to play games with this cancer and her life.”

After undergoing a double mastectomy in January, she was able to get an appointment at the Arlington Cancer Center for January 26. “We contemplated driving to Texas, but my wife was not able to make the trip on the road,” Duane said. The American Cancer Society referred them to Mercy Medical Airlift, and a flight on Delta airlines was arranged within a week’s time. Still weak from her surgery, Shirley needed a wheelchair and an escort to get her from one gate to another. “I have never seen so many people work together to take care of a hurting person, both physically and mentally. The return trip on January 30 was equally comforting,” Duane explained.

During her time in Arlington, Shirley underwent a battery of tests that fortunately failed to detect any additional cancer in her body.  She is currently taking chemotherapy treatment back home and will return to Arlington in June for additional tests and to set up her radiation schedule. Mercy Medical Airlift stands ready to help the couple again with future travel “as long as the resources are available,” said mission director Dannie Ducksworth.