Peggy's Cancer Story

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover and after sitting with our cancer center patient 84-year-old Peggy Ogilvie, she’s evidence of that age-old saying. After a bout with lung cancer and now completing radiation for tumors on her brain, Ogilvie still wore a smile on her face and a positive attitude.

“The staff here have done the best job. I can’t say enough good things about Brookwood hospital,” she said. Peggy, who is a patient of Dr. Allen Yielding, was diagnosed with lung cancer almost six years ago and recently had to take radiation treatments after five tumors were discovered on her brain.

“Dr. Yielding is just fabulous. I would not go anywhere but Brookwood hospital,” she said.

Peggy received her radiation treatments in our cancer center and was complimentary of our therapists including Laurel, Marshaun, Walter and Michele.

When asked what made them special, she said, “They are pleasant, so professional and so caring. They just made it easy. You felt like you were a part of their family.”

After the first week of treatment on Brookwood’s newly installed TruBeam machine, Peggy said three of her tumors were gone. She said she had 10 treatments total over the course of two weeks and will soon learn if her tumors are all gone, but she certainly feels in her spirit that they are.

For her lung cancer, Peggy is on chemotherapy. She was complimentary of Dr. Yielding’s dedication to patient care by always staying knowledgeable of the new treatments and therapies available in the market.

“Dr. Yielding keeps on the cutting edge of everything. He knows everything about new treatments that come in and he studies what works best for you and your genes,” she said. “When he speaks, you just always know that whatever he says that’s exactly what you want to do. He is so kind and he’s concerned about your family too.”

Despite diagnosis, Peggy’s family history is filled with long life as evidenced by her mom. “My mother lived to be 97. She was widowed with seven kids. She was so amazing, she even cut her grass with a push mower until she was 92!”

Additionally, Peggy is surrounded by a loving family. She has two sons (both delivered at Brookwood Baptist) and three grandchildren (ages 30, 26 and 23).

“One grandchild teaches in Durham, another is engaged to be married next June and the youngest is one of the most motivated people I have ever seen. She works so hard, but always makes time to see about me. She’s such a caring, sweet and wonderful girl,” Peggy shared.

Though Peggy is glad to be done with treatments, she shared the people are what she will miss most and had this advice for anyone considering Brookwood for care.

“Brookwood is the best hospital imaginable. Put your full confidence in them, it’s the best care you can find,” she said.