Deliberate, steady progress – that is Marie Smolen Fleischman’s goal as she returns to her exercise routine at the North Tonawanda Recreation Center.

“I regularly go to an exercise class and I get a little better every day. The jumping jacks are still difficult, but my doctor says with time, I should be able to do them, too,” said Marie.

Marie’s recovery is remarkable because this 67-year-old grandmother has been treated several times for lung cancer, the most deadly of all cancers. She underwent surgery to remove a tumor in the upper part of her right lung in 1992 and was cancer-free for a time. Marie’s primary doctor, Dr. Olivia Smith-Blackwell, who understood that Marie was at high risk for another tumor, recommended that Marie be seen by the specialists at Roswell Park. Marie didn’t hesitate.

She agreed to participate in the High Risk Lung Cancer Clinic at Roswell Park where she was monitored closely for any return of cancer. In 2004, during a routine bronchoscopy, doctors found a lesion on Marie’s left lung, and a third lesion was subsequently discovered in 2008. Both tumors were successfully removed surgically using minimally invasive techniques – small surgeries that allow for quicker recoveries.

“My first surgery in 1992 was a big surgery. I spent 13 days in the hospital, and it took a long time to heal. The surgeries at Roswell Park were much easier. Three simple cuts and I was back on my feet in a week or so,” Marie recalls.

Marie credits her doctors with her return to her exercise routine, especially Drs. Martin Mahoney and Chukwumere Nwogu, along with the wonderful nursing staff who provided her with terrific care. She goes on to add, “Roswell Park is an amazing place. It is not like any hospital I have ever been in. There is a spirit of hope there that you feel the moment you walk through the door.”

Marie reports that all went well during her last checkup. Her doctors will continue to monitor her closely, and, of course, she is back at the gym doing her part to stay healthy.

Marie’s message of hope for the holidays: “Find the best medical care possible, and then have trust and confidence in your doctors.”