Employer health fair saves employee's life

by Amye Wright, Herald Citizen

COOKEVILLE -- James Qualls was never the type to go to the doctor for every little ache and ailment.

Aside from a slight pain in his back, he was in good health. So, participating in his employer's health fair would be no big deal.

"I made a little joke of it," James recalls. "I told them, 'Since the company was going to pay for it, I was going to go in there and let them run every test they could.' There wasn't nothing wrong with me."

It was September 2009 when James decided to participate in the Workplace Wellness health fair offered by his employer, Metcom. Afterall, what did he have to lose? His only complaint was a symptom felt by many people as they age or after they work all day -- soreness in his back.

Wanda Richardson, Cookeville Regional Medical Center's Community Wellness Manager, was working at the health fair that day.

She was also the one to tell James that his test results showed some cause for concern regarding his prostate.

"In his situation, we did a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) which is what that looks for," Richardson said.

An elevated PSA could mean that there is some inflammation in the area or something more serious.

"In James' case, his levels were high," she said. "I made (him) promise to go (to the doctor)."

James kept his promise and went to his family doctor the next day where he was then referred to a urologist who performed a biopsy on the mass.

On a scale of one through 10, and 10 being the most concerning, James was at a seven when he first started the visits with his family doctor and, in just two months, the mass had begun to pick up speed and strength.

Soon after, Dr. Quinton Cancel performed the surgery, with the help of the da Vinci robot, to remove the cancer.

James then had to go through more than 30 grueling rounds of radiation treatments.

Without the screenings, James would likely have not received the appropriate care in time to effectively treat the cancer.

Metcom holds employee health fairs every other year and, so far, several employees have benefited from the screenings.

"I don't think there have been any instances as severe as James' situation," Metcom's Human Resources Manger Gina Whitehead said. "But there have been employees that have found out they have diabetes or osteoporosis and things that they can do and start changing their lifestyle."

Through the screenings James also discovered that he is diabetic.

And, while participation in the health screenings is voluntary, James whole-heartedly believes everyone should go.

"I am tickled to death that they offered it to us and I would advise anybody ... go ahead and take them," he said. "It doesn't hurt."

James will go back for his two-year check up -- a major milestone for someone who has battled the disease -- in the coming weeks. If everything checks out at this visit, James will then get to come back every six months instead of every three.

To learn more about CRMC Workplace Wellness screenings and to get a list of services, contact the department at 783-2743.

PHOTO 

Wanda Richardson, RN and CRMC Community Wellness Manager, left, looks over a Workplace Wellness brochure with James Qualls and Gina Whitehead, Human Resource Manager for Metcom. By participating in a health fair through his employer, Metcom, Qualls learned he had prostate cancer. He now works to encourage others to participate in these types of screenings. Herald-Citizen Photo/Amye Wright