Detroit man survives lung cancer thanks to the help of DMC team

COMMERCE TWP, Mich. (FOX 2) - A man who feared treatment for Lung Cancer is now cancer free after receiving help from a team of health experts. 

65-year-old Glen Cannon from Detroit began smoking a pack a day since he was 12-years-old. He was diagnosed with stage three lung cancer in May 2023.

"In the black community we're so ill-informed about what cancer is," said Cannon. "It was like a gut punch from Mike Tyson."

Cannon did not want chemotherapy, immune therapy, or radiation. He was told radiation would burn him up. 

Tammy Pouget is an oncology nurse navigator at DMC Huron Valley Sinai Hospital, who helped Glen overcome his fears by feeding him knowledge.

"Do you find it’s more prevalent, the uncertainty of medical treatment, in the black community than other communities?" asked FOX 2's Charlie Langton.

"I would say it is more prevalent, but I believe most patients diagnosed with cancer really do not have a lot of knowledge," answered Pouget.

One little weird remedy: Glen’s doctor was a big Prince fan, and Glen used to do promotional work in the 90s for Prince.

"He loved Prince. I worked for Prince, and we bonded. We clicked," he said. "It’s kind of creepy."

Creepy or not, Glen beat lung cancer as of September 2024. But he does have a message, especially during Lung Cancer Awareness Month.  

"To the black community, the best thing that you could do for yourself, whether you feel good or not, is go and get screened."