Two years ago, 70-year-old Alvin Larkin of Tillar, Arkansas, became concerned because he had no energy. That may not sound too unusual, especially when you consider that Mr. Larkin cares for his wife, who can no longer walk or talk. But even small activities left him out of breath, and he knew something was wrong. “One morning I was trying to turn my wife, and I had a really sharp pain, so I went to my family physician that very same day. They did an X-ray and thought I might have walking pneumonia. They referred me right away to a pulmonologist at Jefferson Regional, and when they conducted those tests, they found a lot of fluid in my lungs. In the process of draining the fluid, they found that I have cancer.”
Mr. Larkin’s cancer was stage 4 and very aggressive, so he was sent right away to the Jefferson Regional Jones-Dunklin Cancer Center, where he saw Hematologist/Oncologist Asif Masood, M.D. “Dr. Masood was great. He came in and drew sketches of the body and explained the functions of each part of the body. He showed me where the lymphoma was, what kind of cancer I was dealing with, and where it was, and even though it was stage 4, he told me not to worry because, between him and God, we had It covered.”
“Dr. Masood is the greatest,” Mr. Larkin continued. “When I go to see him, it’s like going to see a friend. He’s so passionate. He takes his time and explains things well, and goes straight to what we’re dealing with. I love him, he’s a good doctor.”
Mr. Larkin started taking chemo every week for a year, and the staff at the Cancer Center made his visits as pleasant as possible. I couldn’t have gone to a better place. I couldn’t have gone to my family’s house and been treated as well as I was at that clinic. They were so helpful in everything, everyone in that office was so kind, they were just at your beck and call while you were getting your treatment.”
Now Mr. Larkin takes chemo once a month, which should keep him on the right road. “Dr. Masood wants to make sure we never see it again because this type of cancer is known to be very prone to showing itself again. But at this point, I’m cancer-free. I’m cautious, because I still have a port, but I feel good and I’m pretty much back to my old self. I couldn’t have asked for a better place than Jefferson Regional to receive my care.”
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