Gale Kaduce
“I am so relieved that the cancer is out!”
On any given day you can find Gale Kaduce tending to the 1,000s of plants at her family’s orchid business in Fort Lauderdale. She also loves to stay active by riding her bike to the beach and attending spinning classes. However, an unexpected health diagnosis led her to Broward Health Medical Center and put a pause to the things she loved.
A close friend of Kaduce who smoked, was diagnosed with lung cancer. “It was everywhere and they found it way too late. She died,” she said. Kaduce herself had quit smoking more than 20 years ago and had no major health issues but she decided to ask her primary care physician for a lung cancer screening.
A low-dose CT lung screening can help identify lung cancer at an early stage, when it is more likely to be cured and there is a lower chance of dying from the disease. In Kaduce’s case the CT scan showed small nodules that doctors would later diagnose as lung cancer. Kaduce was referred to Broward Health Medical Center thoracic surgeon Dennis Tiskho, MD for treatment.
On July 31 2020, Kaduce underwent surgery at the hospital to remove the cancer. 17 days after the surgery, Kaduce rode her bike for four miles. “I am so relieved that the cancer is out,” she said. “If you are a former smoker, I would push you to get a lung cancer screening.”