A Two-Minute Scan That Led to a Cancer Diagnosis

Donny Walden almost said no.

The 43-year-old quality engineer at Grain & Protein Technologies had no symptoms, no health concerns and no particular reason to stop at the Decatur Memorial Hospital table at his company’s health fair last September. But Sarah Minott, radiology manager at DMH, encouraged him to take a few minutes for a free thyroid screening.

“The quick screening revealed lumps on both sides of my thyroid,” he said. “Further testing confirmed thyroid cancer. I had no symptoms, so I’m incredibly thankful for the screening. It helped me catch something I never would have known about.”

A Quick and Easy Scan

The screening itself takes less than two minutes. Minott uses a portable ultrasound machine, compact enough to set up anywhere, to scan both sides of the neck, looking for nodules on the thyroid. Patients fill out a brief form, and if something looks questionable, Minott asks the patient to follow up with their provider.

“We don’t diagnose,” she said. “But we can tell the difference between a solid mass and a cyst filled with fluid. We can see lymph nodes. The goal is awareness, to make sure you know something is there so you can alert your doctor.”

If a nodule looks concerning, she is sure to follow up with the person. For Donny Walden, Sarah Minott’s persistence led him to Dr. Jeffrey Ulis, an ENT with Memorial Specialty Care, where his cancer was confirmed and treatment began.

A Community Connection

Minott grew up in Assumption, the same town where Grain & Protein Technologies held its health fair. She’s been doing thyroid screenings at community events for years. She laughs that she is known as “that person” for screenings. COVID-19 paused the work, but in recent years Grain & Protein Technologies has been one of the companies to invite DMH back.

The health fair included insurance representatives, dental providers, flu shot administrators from Walgreens and blood pressure checks. Minott sat down when the fair opened and didn’t get up for nearly three hours. There was always a line.

Beyond thyroid screenings, Minott uses these events to connect people with other potentially life-saving services. She takes names for mammogram appointments and will contact patients who sign up at the screening to schedule their mammogram. She asks targeted questions about smoking history to connect people with lung screening programs. At a previous event for the City of Decatur — where thyroid screening is specifically requested for their employees — she scanned 150 people in a single day. One of them later found her to share that he had been Stage 4. “You saved my life,” he told her.

Why Screenings Matter

Donny Walden had no warning signs. No pain, no swelling he’d noticed, no reason to think anything was wrong. Without that two-minute scan, his cancer may have gone undetected for years and potentially spread to other organs.

“I’m very grateful that Decatur Memorial Hospital offered thyroid screenings at my company’s health fair,” he said.

Additional Resources

Colon Cancer Screening an Easy “Yes” for this Emergency Management Professional

Low-Dose Lung Cancer Screenings Help with Early Diagnosis of Deadly Disease

Radio Interview about Prostate Screenings Changes Man’s Life