UAMS Employee Overcomes Breast Cancer, Highlights Importance of Yearly Mammograms
Treneica McKnight’s breast cancer journey began in February 2024 with a nagging thought about the mammograms she had missed.
Patient Stories
Patient Takes Steps to Prevent Breast Cancer
When she was in her 20s, Jennifer Freeman lost her beloved grandmother suddenly and vowed then to double down on her own health care. Unaware of any genetic risk factors, she asked about a mammogram and was told to wait until she was 40.
First Surgical Procedure Performed at UAMS 12th Street Health & Wellness Center
A clinical team including a urologist, physician assistant (PA) and medical student worked together to perform the first surgical procedure Sept. 25 at the UAMS 12th Street Health & Wellness Center.
A Voice Recovered: Physician Fights Larynx Cancer with Proton Therapy
When longtime Harrison, Arkansas, family physician Mahlon Maris, M.D., began experiencing hoarseness in late 2023, he chalked it up to a bad bout of COVID-19 and the lingering inflammation that can sometimes follow. But months passed, and his voice still hadn’t returned. It was the first sign that something more serious was going on. “I…
Father’s Cancer Battle Inspires Son’s Research
When Don Tackett learned that he had prostate cancer, his first call was to his son, Alan. “It was difficult to hear,” said Alan Tackett, Ph.D., a leading UAMS cancer researcher whose life’s work collided with his father’s health that day. “I’m used to researching cancer, but not my father being a cancer patient,” said…
Local Mother Donates Gift Baskets for UAMS’ Newborns in Honor of Her Stillborn Son
For Mallory Weatherford, there was never a doubt where the gift baskets she created in honor of her son, Carson, were going.
Uterine Cancer Patient Chooses Innovative Treatment that Preserved Her Fertility
Three years later, she is the mother of a miracle baby girl For 20 years, Mother’s Day was one of the hardest days of the year for Alicia Simpson. She loved celebrating the special day with her mother but did so believing she could never have a child of her own. Simpson has polycystic ovarian…
Mississippi Woman, Her Cousin Tout Importance of Living Kidney Donations
Amiee Lovell, 53, is nearing the one-year anniversary of receiving a living donor kidney at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). When she underwent the transplant on June 11, 2024, she was the third of four siblings to undergo a kidney transplant — all from living donors. Her younger brother received a transplant…
24-Year Myeloma Survivor Cites Positive Attitude as Key to Longevity
Jeff Williams maintains a basic approach to living with multiple myeloma. “Get as much exercise as possible,” he said. “I work about a mile from a YMCA. I stay in shape. It has to be a habit. If you go long enough, it will become a habit. Resistance training builds bone density.” Williams, 66, is…
Myeloma Warrior Offers Support to Others in Fight
Alan Stephenson has taken his myeloma diagnosis and turned it into a positive for himself and others in this situation. “One of the reasons I’m passionate about being an advocate is to let people know what to expect. The fear of the unknown is often a lot more than what you actually face,” he said….