New mom grateful for car accident which led to lung cancer diagnosis

Florida woman to celebrate son’s first Thanksgiving after early detection saved her life. 

(PHOENIX - Nov. 18, 2024) – A new mom is grateful to be spending this Thanksgiving with her baby boy in Florida after a car accident led to a shocking lung cancer diagnosis at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. This Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Yovana Portillo, is bringing awareness to the disease and encouraging people to get screened for lung cancer.

In April 2016, Portillo was just 34 years old when she and her younger sister were sideswiped by a dairy semi-truck while driving in southwest Phoenix. Portillo was taken to Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center’s emergency room to be treated for minor injuries. But, she was in for the surprise of her life when results from her CT scan showed a mass on her left lung.

“I was absolutely shocked when the emergency room doctors told me they found something concerning in my lungs,” said Portillo. “I thought they were looking for small stuff like broken bones. I would have never in a million years thought a car accident could possibly lead to a lung cancer diagnosis, especially because I’ve never smoked and have no family history.”

Portillo visited a pulmonologist who ordered a PET scan to get a better look at the mass on her lung which revealed concerning activity. She was then referred to Jasmine Huang, MD, thoracic surgeon and codirector of the lung cancer program at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute, who took on her case and soon results from a CT guided biopsy confirmed Portillo had lung cancer.

Two weeks later, Dr. Huang removed the tumor from Portillo’s lung in a procedure called a video assisted thoracoscopic left lower lobectomy, an operation performed at Norton Thoracic Institute in which surgeons use minimally invasive technology to remove the cancer. This procedure confirmed that Portillo had stage 1B lung cancer.

“Yovana was extremely lucky that her cancer was caught early,” said Dr. Huang. “Due to the asymptomatic nature of the early stages of the disease, most patients are unfortunately diagnosed with lung cancer when it has advanced to stage 3 or 4. The scan following her car accident may have saved her life because there is no way to speculate how aggressive the cancer could have become."

Portillo was then referred to an oncology team at Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s. With a positive prognosis due to early stage and Portillo’s desire to have a family of her own one day, she and her oncology team made the decision that she did not need to undergo further cancer treatment. Instead, routine scans would monitor her lungs.

“I always say that I was handed lung cancer on a silver platter,” said Portillo. “I know my journey was easy compared to most and I am so fortunate that God was looking over me. As odd as it sounds, I am thankful I was in that car accident because it caught my cancer early and has allowed me to live out my dream of being a mom.”

In 2022, Portillo married her husband, and later moved to Melbourne, Florida. In April, the couple welcomed their first son who Portillo calls her miracle baby. “I have so many things to be thankful for this year,” said Portillo. “I’m so thankful to be alive and to be able to celebrate my son’s first Thanksgiving with the love of my life. The reality is, if my cancer wasn’t detected early, I might not be here today. I am so grateful for the entire medical team who helped save my life.”

In the years following her diagnosis, Portillo has become an advocate for lung cancer awareness. In addition to running marathons, she enjoys taking part in philanthropic fundraisers and walks where she races alongside Dr. Huang – a special relationship the two maintain despite living across the country.

“Yovana is part of a relatively rare lung cancer demographic since she was young, and a non-smoker,” said Dr. Huang. “She continues to use her voice to advocate for lung cancer awareness, especially those who are most at risk. It is no secret that lung cancer is more common among smokers, making it extremely important for individuals in this category to get screened. Early detection can be lifesaving.”

Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute offers a lung cancer screening program to help detect this disease for those most at risk. Studies show that early detection and treatment of lung cancer can save more than 70,000 lives in the United States every year.

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