When Roberta “Robbie” DeLoach left a fulfilling but hectic career in retail operations, she decided it was time to take care of a bum knee plagued by osteonecrosis, a painful condition that cuts off the blood supply to the knee and can lead to bone death.
Years of running the three popular St. Helena Island shops named Bellavista, Octopuses and What’s in Store had taken a toll on Robbie’s knee. Shortly after she retired in 2017, she decided it was time to schedule a total knee replacement surgery at Beaufort Memorial Hospital’s Joint Replacement Center.
After meeting with board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Dan Del Gaizo, the two settled on a surgery date: Jan. 6, 2023. But to be cleared for surgery, Dr. Del Gaizo referred Robbie to Beaufort Memorial’s Preoperative Assessment Clinic (PAC) for a presurgical checkup.
“Our goal at the Beaufort Memorial Preoperative Assessment Clinic is to make your surgery as safe and stress-free as possible,” says Jaime Cuff, MSN, FNP-BC, who operates at the clinic. “We perform a comprehensive review of your past medical history, assess your current health status and schedule any additional testing we feel is required to ensure your safety and readiness for your upcoming surgery.”
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Uncovering a Tumor
When Robbie attended her PAC appointment, she was surprised by the number of tests and screenings that were ordered on her behalf.
“I remember questioning the need for a chest CT, in particular,” she recalls. “After all, I was having surgery on my knee, not my chest.”
According to Cuff, Robbie had an abnormal chest X-ray, which prompted the chest CT order. A few days later she received the most unimaginable news of her life: she had a tumor in her right lung.
“My mind was blown,” she says. “I’m not a smoker or a drinker, and the thought of being diagnosed with lung cancer had never crossed my mind.”
Robbie’s primary care doctor, Dr. Lucius Laffitte, arranged for her to see a pulmonologist who immediately ordered a PET scan. Soon the 60-something was canceling her planned knee surgery for an unplanned needle biopsy of her lung tumor.
“I was diagnosed with stage 1B adenocarcinoma, which means they caught it early,” Robbie says.
Fortunately, the cancer had not spread beyond the lung, though the 3.9-centimeter tumor and 19 lymph nodes had to be removed.
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Feeling ‘Like Herself Again’
Robbie was referred to MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston, and in March 2023, she underwent a lobectomy to effectively remove the top right lobe of her lung. It’s been six months since her lung surgery and she’s starting to feel like herself again.
“I’ve always been an active person,” Robbie says. “I’m a grandmother and an artist — I’m not ready to slow down.”
As for the knee? It turns out that months of mandatory post-surgical rest helped her knee heal, too, so much so that she and her husband, Lauren, are tackling the total renovation of a family cottage in Port Royal.
“It’s a miracle that I am around to tell my story,” she says. “I am thankful, blessed, and lucky that this tumor was found. I can’t believe that I was cured of a cancer that I didn’t know I had.”
Today, Robbie is also grateful that her local hospital has a program like the PAC.
“Not all hospitals have a preoperative program like Beaufort Memorial’s,” she says. “For me, it was lifesaving, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.”
Finding the Right Care at the Right Time
According to Cuff, the pre-screening tests and exams have uncovered some surprising diagnoses, including other lung cancers, leukemia, and lymphoma.
“We find a lot of cases of vitamin D deficiency, iron deficiency (anemia), and even new heart conditions and diabetes,” she says. “I now say this is not just pre-op optimization; it is optimization for life. We often refer patients to primary care if they do not have a provider because we believe that preventive medicine is the key to life optimization.”
As for Robbie, she’s just thankful that she was introduced to Jaime and her team at the right time.
“Jaime was so thorough and so organized, she checked on me constantly and we really made a connection through the whole experience,” she says. “Without her, my life could have turned out so differently.”
Life optimization doesn’t need to wait. Speak to your primary care provider about screenings, disease prevention and how to maintain your health.
