Paul Hanna bet his pals he’d ace his physical. He lost the bet, but won his life.

In case there was any question about how smart it is for middle-aged executives to enter Cleveland Clinic’s Executive Health Program, Paul Hanna is living proof…because he’s living.

Mr. Hanna, a 49-year-old father of four and owner and President of Blue Technologies, decided it would be wise to make sure the health of his company’s top executives (all long-time buddies as well) was in good standing. So he signed them all up for Executive Health physicals at Cleveland Clinic.

Ex-Football Star Trains for Physical

The men expected a few red flags about, say, cholesterol levels, maybe a vitamin deficiency or body mass index concern here and there. They even made it a sort of light-hearted competition, trying to outdo each other on the physical. (Mr. Hanna worked out more than usual to get in shape for it.)

A 5.9-Centimeter Red Flag

Mr. Hanna chose to undergo a CT (computed tomography) and was on the verge of calling his wife to boast that he aced his stress test. But the doctor suddenly pulled him aside. Because of a history of aneurysms in the family (his mother had a stroke, and his grandmother died from aortic aneurysm dissections), Raul Seballos, MD, paid special attention to the CT scan. Sure enough, he noticed a large aortic aneurysm.

This ballooning out and thinning of part of the wall in the body’s largest artery is often silent, causing no symptoms. But when an aneurysm ruptures, it is fatal about 50 percent of the time. Without treatment, his aneurysm was likely to burst in just three to six months.

"Dr. Seballos was nothing but upbeat about my chances—he instilled confidence that it could be fixed—that meant a lot to me," Mr. Hanna says.

He was guilty of a common human failing—he thought he was invincible. “I was strong as a bull and worked out five days a week. I don’t know what other people think, but I think I’m Superman,” Mr. Hanna says. The former college and pro football player suddenly found himself writing a will.

A Whole New Ballgame

In March of 2008, Cleveland Clinic heart and vascular surgeon Lars Svensson, MD, performed surgery to reinforce his weakened aorta. Within three months, Mr. Hanna was back to 95 percent of his strength. Today, he’s doing great, regularly urges people to get a physical, and has extended the Executive Health Program to more of his company’s managers.

"I’m so thankful to Cleveland Clinic and to Dr. Seballos for everything… and to my surgeon, Dr. Svensson, one of the top cardiac surgeons in the world," Mr. Hanna says.

Executive Owes His Life to Simple Test: Thorough Physical Leads to Early Detection and Treatment

Shortly after his wife passed away in January 2007, pharmaceutical executive Dennis Engel thought it wise to get a checkup.

"I felt fine, but I wanted my kids to have peace of mind,” the Cincinnati resident remembers. His children live in Cleveland and told him about Cleveland Clinic’s Executive Health program. Mr. Engel liked what he heard. “I knew I could trust the medical care they provide," he says.

A fateful appointment

Mr. Engel made an appointment with internist Raul Seballos, MD, and two weeks later had a full workup. Although he was not a smoker and had no lung problems, Mr. Engel had a chest X-ray, included in all Executive Health physicals.

The basic test saved his life. Mr. Engel was back home when Dr. Seballos called to say the results were abnormal. “He didn’t sound alarmed, but he wanted me to get a CT scan,” Mr. Engel recalls. Rather than wait a couple weeks to have the scan done locally, he called Dr. Seballos, and four days later, got the scan at Cleveland Clinic.

News no one wants to hear

Halfway back to Cincinnati, Dr. Seballos called Mr. Engel with bad news: His CT scan was highly suggestive of lung cancer. "It was a blow to the gut," he recalls.

He pulled over to absorb the news, and then headed back to Cleveland for further tests. Over the next two days, he had a bronchoscopy to confirm his diagnosis, a whole-body scan and a brain scan. "Cleveland Clinic accommodated me every step of the way," he says.

A couple of days later, he saw thoracic surgeon Sudish Murthy, MD, who explained that second-hand smoke can cause the type of cancer he had developed, adenocarcinoma. Sixty-five years of exposure to second-hand smoke had taken its toll.

Luck on his side

Nevertheless, Mr. Engel was extremely fortunate. Lung cancer produces no symptoms until it is well-advanced, so it is rarely caught early.

Dr. Murthy removed the tumor and sampled 20 lymph nodes. All were clear except one, which was enough to recommend postoperative chemotherapy. After four rounds of therapy under the direction of oncologist Tarek Mekhail, MD, Mr. Engel was pronounced cancer-free.

He remains grateful to Cleveland Clinic for the thorough physical "I might not have had a chest X-ray if I had gone somewhere else," he says.

Now he stresses the value of taking responsibility for your health. "Too many people won’t take the time to get a physical. I am living proof of what you can do if you catch things early enough," he says.

Women's Health Program Helps in Early Diagnosis

Breast cancer doesn't run in Susan Knapke's family. That's why she never expected anything to show up when she accompanied her husband to his executive physical in Cleveland Clinic's women's health program. But she's glad she went.

"My husband David has to have a yearly physical for his company (Wayne Trail Technologies). We went on the Internet and found Cleveland Clinic's Executive Health Program - and that it was offered to spouses as well," Susan says. "He said if he had to go, I was going with him."

Susan and David Knapke

"I wasn't worried at all – I have regular mammograms. But when my results came back, I was surprised to be told that they wanted to take a second and third mammogram."

Susan was diagnosed with breast cancer (infiltrating ductal carcinoma). She immediately stopped taking estrogen. Cleveland Clinic physicians discussed her options with her, including lumpectomy, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. After reviewing the options with the physicians, Susan had a lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node procedure at the Clinic and underwent eight weeks of radiation in her hometown.

Mrs. Knapke now feels fine and she came back to Cleveland Clinic in October 2003 for her one-year checkup. She says she would definitely recommend the Executive Health Program, and she has high praises for the physicians here.

"I wouldn't have known otherwise – and they caught it at a treatable stage. My Clinic physicians were excellent. I definitely want to thank them for their care."

Susan's five children and 11 grandchildren thank them, too.

“I felt compelled to thank you for the outstanding medical experience I had at Cleveland Clinic Canada. Taking part in the Executive Health Program, I must say, I have never had a more complete and thorough medical examination in all my years in and around healthcare."

Outside of the comprehensive nature of the program, the true advantage is that it was “one-stop shopping,” meaning no running around to various practitioners or medical labs spanning days, weeks or even months. I was speechless knowing that on ‘my day,’ I would be seen by a preventative health doctor, an exercise physiologist, a clinical psychologist, a dietitian AND had all my diagnostic tests and x-rays done on-site during my visit.

I don’t know what part of my experience has left me the most impressed--the traditionally invasive tests that could be performed through non-invasive methods, the high-tech diagnostic equipment, the noticeably clean facility or how the entire team was personable, attentive, professional and genuinely concerned about me. I really can’t stress this point enough – the team treated me perfect and the doctors I met certainly lived up to their ‘world-class doctor’ moniker. Further, all the practitioners spoke with detailed explanations and kept asking “is there anything else you’d like to discuss?”. I never felt pressured or rushed; it was my day.

Keep up the great work and keep that bar high. Cleveland Clinic Canada has BY FAR exceeded my expectations."

-Dr. Stephen Tsotsos