“He’s a doctor to the person”: Floyd surgeon’s closer look, attentive care leave lasting impression
David Beers keeps count, and he remembers the details.
Over his 78 years, he estimates he has been under major anesthesia 25 times. There was the full spinal fusion after a car accident and open-heart surgery at Baptist Health Floyd in 2005. He has also had several encounters with kidney stones.
Those kidney stones are what brought him back to Baptist Health Floyd in May. The pain felt familiar, and the diagnosis was what he expected.
The CT scan, however, showed something he did not.
“They said, ‘You’ve got a mass in your CAT scan,’” David recalled. “‘It’s probably cancerous, and we’re going to need to take care of it.’”
David was referred to Biruk Almaz, MD, a colorectal surgeon at Baptist Health Floyd, who recognized that the finding warranted a closer look.
“Rather than stopping at the obvious diagnosis, our team pursued additional testing using advanced imaging, which revealed a rare cancer originating in the small intestine that had already spread to blood vessels within the abdomen and to the liver,” Dr. Almaz said.
From their first meeting, David noticed both the attention Dr. Almaz gave him and the urgency he brought to his case. Dr. Almaz explained the testing that needed to happen next and what they still needed to learn. David, accustomed to how long medical care can sometimes take, expected a significant amount of time between each step.
“I figured we’d hear from him in another three or four weeks,” David said. “I heard from him within a week.”
After additional testing and review by Baptist Health Floyd’s multidisciplinary tumor board, the team had a diagnosis and a surgical plan. David again expected to wait several weeks.
Instead, Dr. Almaz called within a week.
“He said, ‘I’ve cleared my schedule and you’re going in tomorrow,’” David recalled.
The speed did not come at the expense of personal attention. During appointments, David said Dr. Almaz reviewed scans with him and answered his questions with patience.
“He was both concerned and personable at the same time,” David said. “He just recognized that this was something that needed to be taken care of.”
A few years ago, a cancer case as complex as David’s likely would have meant leaving Baptist Health Floyd for a larger medical center. Investments in the hospital’s gastrointestinal surgical program, advanced technology and minimally invasive capabilities are helping change that.
With support from Baptist Health Foundation Floyd donors, physicians have more of the tools and resources needed to diagnose and treat complex conditions locally, helping more patients receive advanced care close to home.
“This case reflects what Baptist Health Floyd strives to provide every day: patient-centered care, thoughtful teamwork across specialties, advanced technology, and innovative treatment delivered close to home,” Dr. Almaz said. “It demonstrates that patients in our region do not always need to leave their community to receive sophisticated cancer care.”
Dr. Almaz and Timothy Dawson, MD, performed David’s surgery.
“Using robotic minimally invasive surgery, we removed the primary tumor while preserving surrounding healthy tissue,” Dr. Almaz said. “At the same operation, we used real-time ultrasound guidance to precisely identify tumors within the liver and treated them using advanced heat-ablation technology, allowing us to destroy the cancer without removing large portions of the liver.”
Despite the complexity of the procedure, David spent only two days in the hospital and was walking and eating a regular diet shortly after surgery. His story is just one measure of what those investments in people and technology have made possible.
25 major anesthesia events have introduced him to a lot of operating rooms, nurses and physicians. He speaks appreciatively of the people who have cared for him through all of them, especially those at Baptist Health Floyd.
But Dr. Almaz stands out.
“Whenever I’m visiting him, it’s like I’m the only thing that matters in the world,” David said. “He’s a doctor to the person.”
Over his 78 years, he estimates he has been under major anesthesia 25 times. There was the full spinal fusion after a car accident and open-heart surgery at Baptist Health Floyd in 2005. He has also had several encounters with kidney stones.
Those kidney stones are what brought him back to Baptist Health Floyd in May. The pain felt familiar, and the diagnosis was what he expected.
The CT scan, however, showed something he did not.
“They said, ‘You’ve got a mass in your CAT scan,’” David recalled. “‘It’s probably cancerous, and we’re going to need to take care of it.’”
David was referred to Biruk Almaz, MD, a colorectal surgeon at Baptist Health Floyd, who recognized that the finding warranted a closer look.
“Rather than stopping at the obvious diagnosis, our team pursued additional testing using advanced imaging, which revealed a rare cancer originating in the small intestine that had already spread to blood vessels within the abdomen and to the liver,” Dr. Almaz said.
From their first meeting, David noticed both the attention Dr. Almaz gave him and the urgency he brought to his case. Dr. Almaz explained the testing that needed to happen next and what they still needed to learn. David, accustomed to how long medical care can sometimes take, expected a significant amount of time between each step.
“I figured we’d hear from him in another three or four weeks,” David said. “I heard from him within a week.”
After additional testing and review by Baptist Health Floyd’s multidisciplinary tumor board, the team had a diagnosis and a surgical plan. David again expected to wait several weeks.
Instead, Dr. Almaz called within a week.
“He said, ‘I’ve cleared my schedule and you’re going in tomorrow,’” David recalled.
The speed did not come at the expense of personal attention. During appointments, David said Dr. Almaz reviewed scans with him and answered his questions with patience.
“He was both concerned and personable at the same time,” David said. “He just recognized that this was something that needed to be taken care of.”
A few years ago, a cancer case as complex as David’s likely would have meant leaving Baptist Health Floyd for a larger medical center. Investments in the hospital’s gastrointestinal surgical program, advanced technology and minimally invasive capabilities are helping change that.
With support from Baptist Health Foundation Floyd donors, physicians have more of the tools and resources needed to diagnose and treat complex conditions locally, helping more patients receive advanced care close to home.
“This case reflects what Baptist Health Floyd strives to provide every day: patient-centered care, thoughtful teamwork across specialties, advanced technology, and innovative treatment delivered close to home,” Dr. Almaz said. “It demonstrates that patients in our region do not always need to leave their community to receive sophisticated cancer care.”
Dr. Almaz and Timothy Dawson, MD, performed David’s surgery.
“Using robotic minimally invasive surgery, we removed the primary tumor while preserving surrounding healthy tissue,” Dr. Almaz said. “At the same operation, we used real-time ultrasound guidance to precisely identify tumors within the liver and treated them using advanced heat-ablation technology, allowing us to destroy the cancer without removing large portions of the liver.”
Despite the complexity of the procedure, David spent only two days in the hospital and was walking and eating a regular diet shortly after surgery. His story is just one measure of what those investments in people and technology have made possible.
25 major anesthesia events have introduced him to a lot of operating rooms, nurses and physicians. He speaks appreciatively of the people who have cared for him through all of them, especially those at Baptist Health Floyd.
But Dr. Almaz stands out.
“Whenever I’m visiting him, it’s like I’m the only thing that matters in the world,” David said. “He’s a doctor to the person.”
“This case reflects what Baptist Health Floyd strives to provide every day: patient-centered care, thoughtful teamwork across specialties, advanced technology, and innovative treatment delivered close to home. It demonstrates that patients in our region do not always need to leave their community to receive sophisticated cancer care.”
The Dawn of a Healthier Tomorrow
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