Kay Roberson’s Survivor Story
Kay Roberson of Pascagoula can not express enough how thankful she is to have Dr. Ijlal Babar of Singing River Health System as her physician.
“I just thank God for sending me someone who was so intelligent and kind, and truly, truly listened to me.”
In the fall of 2015, Kay went to see Dr. Babar with a persistent cough. “I just couldn’t quit coughing,” said Kay. “I didn’t feel particularly bad or have any other symptoms, just bothered by this cough.”
While preliminary exams and bloodwork did not indicate infection or anything of a serious nature, Dr. Babar was not satisfied.
“I need to keep looking,” he told her. “I sense something is not right.”
Trusting him implicitly as she had for many years, Kay agreed to further testing, including a CT scan followed by Bronchoscopy. In the Bronchoscopy procedure, advanced technology allows the physician to have direct visualization of the bronchial tree as well as access to areas deep within the lung. Using navigational bronchoscopy, a procedure only performed at Singing River Health System on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which allows small peripheral lesions to be safely biopsied, Dr. Babar discovered what would later be identified as Carcinoma, a deadly form of lung cancer.
Having caught the disease early, Kay was a candidate for surgery with Singing River surgeon Dr. Richard Eubanks, Jr., who successfully removed the tumor in October 2015.
Today Kay is cancer-free.
“Dr. Babar told me he was going to take care of me and he really did. He was so attentive. He listened. He was persistent. I believe he is the greatest doctor on earth.”
In 2016, CareChex® — a division of Comparion®, recognized Singing River Health System as ranking #1 in Mississippi for medical excellence in pulmonary care, one of 58 total achievements awarded.
The only Pulmonary Hypertension Center on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Singing River Health System provides advanced diagnostic services through its dedicated pulmonary function lab, cardiopulmonary exercise testing and endobronchial ultrasound procedures.
Patients across South Mississippi and South Alabama have access to treatment for disorders ranging from asthma, COPD and pulmonary fibrosis to lung cancer and shortness of breath.
Discover more about Singing River Health System’s pulmonary care.
