Join us as we uncover heartwarming narratives of service and community within faith-based schools and discuss the challenges students face at secular universities. Jim Stovall takes inspiration from personal anecdotes and mentors to illustrate the power of commitment and reputation. Plus, listen to an awe-inspiring story of a nine-year-old college prodigy and a discussion with experts on groundbreaking advancements in lung cancer treatment. This episode is packed with powerful lessons on service, dedication, and the barriers broken by science.
Welcome to The Good News with Angie Austin. Now, with The Good News, here’s Angie.
SPEAKER 06 :
Hey there, friend. Angie Austin and Jim Stovall talking about his winner’s wisdom column today titled Said and Done. Hello, Jim.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, hello to you.
SPEAKER 06 :
All right. So I thought I’d share with you. My daughter just sent me a picture from school. And just like Oral Roberts University, your alma mater, where you still teach math. It’s a Christian university, and she showed me some. They have chapel every day, and she showed me some of the teachers’ administration in suits and dress pants and dress shoes. I could just tell they’re administrators because they were older, and you can tell by their shoes that they’re not students. You know what I mean? Yeah. like the loafers and the penny loafers and anyway so she said mom look what they’re doing at my school like she’s like what’s up with this and so they had a bunch of students up boys and the men were washing their feet and I was explaining to her that that this that she said they thought she said it was a joke and I said no it’s not they’re not joking around I’m like it’s I mean she knows that Jesus did it in the Bible, but I’m like they’re demonstrating that even the most important, the greatest, the richest, the president of the university, the people deemed to be the bigwigs, that they should serve one another, serve each other in love. And I was trying to explain that these aren’t things you learn in the world that you don’t see anywhere. Rich people will say to a homeless guy, hey, I’d really like to demonstrate that I’m not above you and I’d like to serve you in love. And I’ve been really talking to them since there’s been so much going on politically. And a young person was killed in our country that represented a lot of the views of many young people. That’s why Charlie Kirk was so famous because so many young people followed him. And so that’s how a lot of them knew about Christianity, and at least that was one of their big – influencers in the Christian and conservative world. So anyway, I have been talking to them about how easy it is to get drugged into the world. And my son’s at a secular university where my youngest daughter over the weekend went with him to a football game. And she saw like a whole different world. She’s like, oh, my gosh, on the way that they dress up here. And so many people are drunk and it’s tens of thousands of people going to these games. And, you know, because of Coach Prime, Deion Sanders, that school has become very like the tickets. Now, three of you go, it might be a thousand dollars for three tickets. Well, that’s not the way normal college football games are. That’s more like a pro game. Right. So it’s just it’s it’s just a circus game. And so she was kind of like blown away, and next week we take her to the other school, to her sister’s Christian school. So anyway, it’s just interesting with everything that’s going on in the world and a lot of people reexamining their views for my daughter to think they might be doing that as a joke. And I’m like, the president of your school is not up there watching these boys. This isn’t a frat stunt. You know what I mean? And speaking of frats, Jim, one of our friends of the family is going to a frat in California. And like every single night, debauchery and, you know, parties. And they just sent us a video of one kid jumping off of a roof at a party into a swimming pool headfirst. And I’m just like, what on earth is going on here? Anyway, he and some of his frat buddies actually, after the service yesterday, went and got baptized in the ocean. So even in these schools where It’s extremely secular and worldly. They’re even being touched by some of what’s going on right now, this wave across our country of Christianity and conservatism that’s being talked about. So people are being very outspoken right now.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, and I’ve had the opportunity to speak on a number of faith-based campuses and secular campuses, and I will tell you, some of the most dedicated people I’ve seen are on the secular campus, the big state universities, but they’re involved in these faith-based organizations, and they’re pretty staunch, but… In general, it’s really amazing because I know at our university, we’re the Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship, but when you ask kids, why did you come to school here? Well, I want to pursue my passion and follow my faith at the same time. You can go to the state university and ask, and the answers kind of surround, well, I was out of high school. I didn’t know what else to do. You know, great, the party continues, whatever. You know, you get some people that are really dedicated, but by and large, it’s a different culture. And, you know, you experience that at the ballgame. It’s really rather amazing. And… And, you know, I don’t know who it was that thought it was a great idea to allow alcohol at college games when, in most states, 75% of the undergrads are not of drinking age anyway. And why they do that, and, you know, every group’s got a senior that goes to the concession and comes back with the drinks. I mean, it’s really, you know, I mean, who thought this was a good idea? I mean… Really?
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, that’s a good point, and I’m sure they say it’s for the parents, but it’s the kids that are drinking. Sorry, a little sneeze there. Yeah, it’s a horrible idea.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, absolutely, and I think – You know, I was talking to a friend of mine who is a regent at a state university here in my state, and he said, well, we believe that our kids need to learn how to be adults. And I said, so you weren’t influenced by the brewery giving you a million dollars and selling $12 beers, didn’t you? That was not a factor. It’s just, you know, you’re trying to teach these kids adult lessons. Right.
SPEAKER 06 :
I go look at their behavior and I mean is this really what we want here I mean it’s it’s really rather terrifying so you know I um I I worry you know with uh so many polls on the kids you just hope well you know you just hope you’ve done well enough and uh in teaching them while they’re with you what’s important but I definitely see the environment um at University of Colorado has so many more you know temptations and then my daughter’s school she’s got You know, there’s no drinking and there’s no boys in the dorm and there’s a curfew and there’s a dress code and, you know, they’re protected a lot more. And it’s a smaller town, of course. So that right there is a big part of it. So, yeah, it’s interesting. It’s an interesting world. All right. Well, I just want to bring all that up and then we’ll talk about your column said and done. What are you teaching us this week?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, more than ever, Angie, we live in a world that when it’s all said and done, there’s an awful lot said and very little done. I was talking to a neighbor and a friend of mine the other day at our homeowners association, and he was recommending a guy that had done some work over at his home. And he said, here’s the thing. He said what he would do, and he showed up and did it. And I said, isn’t it amazing that that is now, we’ve gotten to a place where, that’s a great recommendation. A guy that just said he would do something and showed up and did it. And that is amazing. And, you know, my mentor, Lee Braxton, who you’ve heard me speak of many, many times, you know, when I was young, and I said, what’s the real key to becoming a multimillionaire? What do you really, I mean, let’s get behind the curtain here and see, tell me the secret. He said, okay, you ready? Write this down. You always do what you said you would do. And I said, come on, give me the real secret. He said, no, that’s the secret. He said, always do what you say you’re going to do. He said it has several benefits. First, you will be known as an honorable person that people want to do business with. Second, you’ll be very cautious what you say because you know you’re going to have to do it. I remember when I was a little kid, I went with my grandfather to the fair, and he manned the booth. We were raising money for some cause, and they had fishing line that they were selling for $3 a spool. And all the money went to this cause, these kids. And so we’re there. Well, a guy comes over to my grandfather and says, hey, you’re selling it for $3. Over on the next aisle, they have the same thing for $2. And my grandfather said, why didn’t you go buy it over there? And the guy said, well, they’re out of it. And my grandfather said, well, when we’re out of it, it’s only a dollar. But right now we’ve got fishing line right here for $3. You want it or not? And that’s kind of the thing. I mean, it doesn’t really matter what you said. It’s what can you do? What are you really, really doing? And, you know, it’s amazing that we’ve gotten to a place where you become a person of high reputation. Simply because you did what you said you would do.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And I know when you talk about – you’re really blessed when you talk about your grandparents and your parents. I mean really I’ve never heard you say a bad word. I mean they really were upstanding people who taught you right from wrong and elicited a lot of admiration from you in the way that they brought you up.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, I think they saw everything as a teachable moment for me. And, you know, I benefited greatly from those lessons from them, you know, because I do think that is a teachable moment, and everything is. And even when bad things happen, wow, those are the great moments. Like, okay, what do I learn from this right here? And, you know, I… I always tell my students, a good excuse is an excuse. At some level, you did or you didn’t. And I tell them, when you go to the military academy at West Point and you’re going to learn how to be a soldier, they ask you a lot of questions. There are only four good responses. Yes, sir. No, sir. I don’t understand, sir. No excuse, sir. Those are the only four responses they allow. And you can get through an entire education with those four answers. That’s all you get to say. And so I think, you know, we need to be very careful what we say and make sure it matches who we are and what we do. And, you know, when you look at your politicians and there’s so much turmoil on the political landscape, but really all we can expect these people to do is be who they said they were. And I can tell you people at the very extreme of both parties that do a good job because they are what they said they would be. And, you know, I was talking to a senator the other day. I said, I admire you. He said, Jim, I doubt you’ve ever voted for anything I voted for. I said, no, I’m sure you’re right. But, you know, you said you were a socialist. You’ve been a socialist. And you’re dependable. I mean, that’s what people should be able to depend on. And… And you are what you said you were, and that’s all we can ask.
SPEAKER 06 :
Now, in terms of what you want us to take away from the article, when we read the whole article, what would you like us today to go forth and be thinking about?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, be very careful. I mean, you know, people today are quick to give their word and quick to break their word. I mean, be slow to give your word and don’t break it. I mean, just don’t do that. And… And if you’re forced to – I mean, there’s a natural disaster or something that gives you – I mean, you should be the first one on the phone telling someone, I gave you my word. Here’s the situation I’m dealing with. How can we make this work? And, you know, those are the things. But I really think being known as someone who will – You know, we’ll get done what he needs to get done. I remember we were at a family reunion once when a tornado came through the lake where we were. And we were way down the lake on a pavilion there. And I had a house down on the water. My brother had his house was way up on top of the hill. He said, man, I got to get all these family members out of here and get them up the hill to my basement. Can you get back to your place? Because I was by myself. Crystal was already up the hill. I said, yeah. He said, Jim, it’s a half mile. How are you going to get back? I said, I’ve got it. He said, good enough. And he turned and drove off. And later, family members asked him, well, how do you know? I mean, you left your brother standing there, the blind guy. And he said, the greatest compliment he ever gave me. He said, if my brother says he’s got it, he’s got it. That’s it. That’s all you need to know. And, I mean, all I had to do was go downhill until I hit the lake. The lake’s down the hill somewhere. So I went downhill until I found the lake, and I followed the lake shore until I got to the boat ramp, and I walked 50 feet up the boat ramp, and there’s my house. And it just wasn’t that hard to find, you know. I mean, you can’t get lost. It’s like being in California. Go west until you find the ocean, and then you either go north or south. You can’t get lost if you’re going to a beach place. So it’s… But the important thing is you always do what you said you’re going to do. That matters.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes. I was just telling my girlfriend this weekend, our kids asked us not to post something on social media, and I didn’t, and she did. I said, you cannot do that. When they ask you not to post something, you don’t know what their reasons are, but they will not trust you if you do that. And so we just had this big discussion about that. JimStoval.com. Thank you, my friend. Thank you. Thank you.
SPEAKER 08 :
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SPEAKER 06 :
Hey there, friend. Angie Austin here with The Good News. Really cool interview coming up. First, I want to share some good news with you. And the good news being, I just love these. The Good News Network is where I go to get a lot of my stories on good news. And this is about a nine-year-old going to college to be a brain surgeon for kids his age. And I really want to hear you let you hear him speak as well. So it’s an NBC story. I worked for NBC for many years, love working for them. And again, nine year old boy who wants to make a difference with kids his age. And it’s mind blowing to me that he’s already talking about being a brain surgeon.
SPEAKER 07 :
Nine years old, Aidan Wilkins is making history at a Pennsylvania college. Every little thing I learn just fascinates me. And feeling right at home as the youngest student to ever take classes at Ursinus.
SPEAKER 05 :
I just feel like… Okay, I’m in a classroom with people more than double my age.
SPEAKER 07 :
Okay, because this class in neuroscience is helping Aiden focus on what he wants to be when he grows up.
SPEAKER 05 :
The reason why I want to be a pediatric neurosurgeon is mainly because, well, I like helping kids around my age.
SPEAKER 07 :
Since three, Aiden loved watching anatomy videos.
SPEAKER 05 :
I was always fascinated when I saw, like, the brain.
SPEAKER 07 :
Aiden’s mom says his genius was evident when he was still in diapers. He was reading signs and correcting people’s sentences, and he was actually correct. He was promoted to high school at seven, when most kids his age go into the second grade. Now at nine, Aiden is in college three days a week. and has virtual classes as a sophomore in high school. Part of Aiden’s gift is his love of things other kids his age also enjoy.
SPEAKER 05 :
I mainly like to play video games.
SPEAKER 07 :
But more than anything, Aiden loves learning.
SPEAKER 05 :
I’m going straight to med school and just see how I do.
SPEAKER 07 :
One gifted child who may be a gift to all of us. Rahima Ellis, NBC News.
SPEAKER 06 :
Whoa, are you kidding me? I mean, that just blows my mind. I mean, I always felt like, you know, I did well in school and I was pretty much a straight A student. And I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to have a brain like that, you know, to not have to really even work at understanding things. I mean, to be nine and already making his plans for medical school and to be a brain surgeon. Oh, man. Oh, man. And, you know, I know my kids, too, have to really work at their academics. And we put a fair amount of pressure on them, I would say. And I would. Two of my kids, my older ones, struggled a little more early in high school, and I don’t think COVID helped with that. And it was kind of my dream to just have kids that just automatically did well in school, just like, no problem. My brother’s a genius. He’s like this kid almost. And he’s always just understood math really well. And when he went to West Point Military Academy, he would find mistakes in the physics textbooks because he understood math so well. I never had a brain like that, but I was kind of hoping, oh, maybe I’ll have a kid with a brain like that. But every one of my families really had to work at their academics. But I’m happy to say that my kids all do really well in school, but that wasn’t the case automatically. I mean, it’s taken a lot of work on their part to get to that point, and I know that we exerted a fair amount of pressure. But, you know, things are coming around. And speaking of brainy people, I’ve got an interview coming up and they are just joining us. And if you are just joining us, this is Angie Austin with the good news. And I’m sure you know that you don’t need to be a smoker to get lung cancer. I didn’t always know that or wasn’t quite clear on it, but that’s the truth. The Lung Cancer Foundation of America is helping to raise awareness of the importance of early screening and clinical trials. for Patients Battling Small Cell Lung Cancer, or SCLC. Joining us are two experts in the area, Dr. Jacob Sands. Dr. Sands is a thoracic oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and joining him is Wendy Brooks. Wendy is a small cell lung cancer survivor and clinical trial participant whose life was saved by an early CT scan and cutting-edge treatment. Welcome to both of you.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you so much.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thank you, Angie. All right, Dr. Sands, I’ll start with you. Let’s just get the basics. What is small cell lung cancer?
SPEAKER 03 :
Small cell lung cancer is a kind of lung cancer that when you get a biopsy and look at the cells under the microscope, they’re smaller, and hence the name given many years ago was small cell lung cancer. But this is a diagnosis that tends to be more aggressive. It tends to spread earlier and more rapidly than the other more common non-small cell lung cancer.
SPEAKER 06 :
Now, I’ve been hearing that there have been changes in cancer treatments and things are getting better, as I think we’ll see evidence by Wendy. But can you walk us through what’s changed in the last five years? Because you mentioned it’s very aggressive.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s right. Anyone with a lung cancer diagnosis, whether it be non-small cell or small cell, is, with rare exception, getting treated with a drug that’s new in the last five to 10 years. This is just really to stress that the science has moved very quickly. There are a lot of advances happening. Now, small cell lung cancer has been the more difficult to treat in these. We’ve seen a ton of advances in non-small cell lung cancer. But more recently, we’re now getting this kind of momentum in the science of treating small cell lung cancer as well. A little over five years ago, we started using immunotherapy as the initial treatment along with chemo. And we have some people that I think may be cured of their incurable disease, which is to say a subset of individuals are benefiting extraordinarily. Wow. But we have a lot more work to do before everyone gets that kind of benefit. Five years ago, we saw a new chemo drug get approved. Last year, tarlotamab, the first of a class of drugs called T-cell engagers, got approved. And we’re seeing real advances with that drug and that class as well. But there’s so much going on in clinical trials as well. Each of the scientific advances we get… leads to other advances behind it. And so things are fortunately starting to move very quickly, and this is why it’s so important for patients to hear about clinical trials that they might qualify for, just so that they can consider what’s the best treatment option for them and which of the trials might they consider for their own potential best current options.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay, so let’s get into your story, Wendy, because we mentioned that your life was really saved by an early CT and then this cutting-edge treatment. So tell us about you.
SPEAKER 04 :
Exactly. So, Angie, I was actually diagnosed almost a little over two years ago in July of 2023. That was after my sixth low-dose CT screening. I had numerous risk factors that caused me to work with my primary care physician and advocate for lung screening. My father had passed away from lung cancer. I had many environmental exposures over my lifetime with my occupation and also radon in the home that I grew up with and uranium contamination in our drinking water. So there was a lot of factors that went into play with this. And I’m so glad that I did have that screening because I did not have any symptoms that would have caused concern, and it was the scan that showed that I had tumor activity in my lung that prompted further investigation with a biopsy, and that turned out to be the small cell lung cancer. And the thing about it, though, because of those early screenings, I was caught at what is called the limited stage where it just stayed within the lung and just one adjacent lymph node to where we could treat to cure. And that was the best thing I could hear from the oncologist when I met with him that we were treating this to cure. And that gave me the positive outlook that I continue today. I never ask for a prognosis. I don’t want to know that. There’s only one person that knows when we’re going to leave this world. And that’s not my doctor. So I treated with a standard line of care with chemotherapy and radiation and then went under surveillance. Unfortunately, at my three-month surveillance, my brain showed that I had a metastasis to it. So we resolved that with direct radiation to that tumor. And then my scans were moved up to every two months. And at the two-month screening for my lungs, it was found that it was back in my lung again. And that is when I made the decision in consultation with my oncologist to start my first clinical trial.
SPEAKER 06 :
Now, I’m just curious as to the scans, when you started getting them, is that because you had the risk factors? Because you said you didn’t have any symptoms.
SPEAKER 04 :
That’s correct. Well, the screening was because I had numerous risk factors that qualified me for screening. But it was because of the screening that caught the lung cancer.
SPEAKER 06 :
And how has the trial gone?
SPEAKER 04 :
So my first clinical trial, it was fantastic. It was one of these classes of drugs that is a targeted chemotherapy that pretty much goes directly to the expression of the small cell lung cancer protein and just you know ties right into it and delivers that chemotherapy directly to the tumor cells. That worked fantastic for me for about 10 months all of 2024 and towards the end of it I started getting a little bit of a volume increase because this cancer is sneaky and it will change and it will not allow the treatment to continue to resolve it. And we made the decision to go ahead and pivot. And I went on another clinical trial, which was a therapy that Dr. Sands described, a T-cell engager, which the medicine goes and gets my immune system amped up and goes out and targets the cancer and seeks and destroys it. And I’ve been on that treatment since January of this year. I get my injections every three weeks, which is another advancement with small cell. It’s not an infusion. It’s a subcutaneous injection. And I’m doing well with it, and I’m able to enjoy life. And that’s really what we need as patients is that hope and that ability to continue to enjoy our lives and live life. That’s all we can ask for.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thank you for your story. And Dr. Sands, would you talk to us a little bit about what we should say to our doctors, when we should be screened, if we have high risk factors, what are those risk factors? I didn’t know about some of the ones that Wendy mentioned.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, these are important ones to mention. Most commonly, the people that qualify is based upon their smoking history. and age 50 to 80, but there are other risk factors. And so certainly having that discussion with your primary care is really important. Now, unfortunately, there are a lot of people getting screened at their own urging because right now in this country, although it’s been recommended for more than a decade in certain populations to get lung screening, unfortunately, this is still not happening yet. for the majority of people who qualify. There are certain hospitals where it is happening for the majority, and there are many where it is just not being offered to anybody. And so this is often something for people to look at specifically, do you fit the criteria, and to really push for it if you do.
SPEAKER 06 :
You know, I just say thank you for, you know, raising attention to lung cancer and just, you know, outside risk factors. I remember working in a hospital when I was in high school and all the ladies would sit at the table and smoke in the hospital. And then I would get a ride with a friend to school sometimes and the windows were shut in our cold, you know, winters. And her mom would chain smoke on the way to school. And I remember just like no one in my family smoked. And I was like, horrified by the smell and feeling trapped in there by it but we didn’t know you know i mean think about that smoking in a hospital like the whole table smoking like it would never happen now so whatever we’re doing we’re making advancements so i really appreciate you uh both sharing uh information and uh where should we go to get more information if we’re curious about the trials etc
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, Angie, we’d like to share with your listeners to join the fight and to donate to go to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America’s website, which is lcfamerica.org.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, thank you so much for all you’re doing for others and for sharing your expertise with us today. Thank you.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for listening to The Good News with Angie Austin on AM670 KLTT.
Join us as we uncover heartwarming narratives of service and community within faith-based schools and discuss the challenges students face at secular universities. Jim Stovall takes inspiration from personal anecdotes and mentors to illustrate the power of commitment and reputation. Plus, listen to an awe-inspiring story of a nine-year-old college prodigy and a discussion with experts on groundbreaking advancements in lung cancer treatment. This episode is packed with powerful lessons on service, dedication, and the barriers broken by science.
