Man of Faith Manages Surprise Lung Mass Finding

Joe Doherty, 77, has been an active parishioner at Church of St. Dominic in Brick for the past 45 years. His faith — and an innovative surgical procedure — helped him navigate treatment for an unexpected lung mass.

After retiring from his position as HR director for the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development, Joe spent seven years as the sole caregiver for his wife, Mary, after her dementia diagnosis.

“I didn’t tell her, but I made a commitment to myself that I would take care of her as long as I physically could,” Joe says.

With Mary’s passing in 2023, Joe lost his identity as a caregiver and turned to the church for new ways to stay active and involved in his faith community.

Joe’s new routine was disrupted one Sunday morning in 2024, when he saw blood in his urine.

The Unexpected Discovery of a Lung Mass

“It really looked like merlot,” Joe says. “That’s how dark it was.”

The same thing had happened five years earlier, and it was nothing serious, so Joe wasn’t immediately concerned. He headed to St. Dominic’s for Mass as usual.

After Mass, Joe mentioned the symptoms to a friend, a deacon. His friend expressed concern that Joe didn’t look well and encouraged him to go home, but Joe didn’t want to skip teaching an after-Mass session for people who want to convert to the Catholic faith. (Joe has been the instructor for nearly 30 years.)

Joe was finally persuaded to seek medical attention and visited Ocean Care Center. He received a CT scan, but it didn’t reveal a urological problem—it revealed a “squishy” lung mass. This was especially surprising because Joe hadn’t experienced any lung pain or other lung symptoms.

“I wasn’t spitting up any mucus or blood or anything,” Joe says. “I didn’t have any trouble breathing. But for that scan, I never would’ve had it checked out.”

Taking the Lung Mass News in Stride

Faced with the possibility of a lung cancer diagnosis, Joe remained calm.

“I never worried about it at all,” he says, “for two reasons. One: Whatever it was, I knew I couldn’t control it myself. I didn’t have any medical background to control it. Two: I had a very strong faith that everything was going to be OK.”

Advanced Lung Mass Surgery With Major Advantages

Joe was referred to thoracic surgeon Rachel NeMoyer, M.D. at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, who recommended a robot-assisted procedure because it offered significant advantages in Joe’s case.

His benign lung mass had a ground glass opacity (GGO), which means it appeared hazy on scans, not clearly defined. This indicates that the mass will be harder to find, see and feel with traditional surgical methods.

The surgery, called robotic lung resection, offered:

• The ability for his surgeon to view the lung mass clearly through an inserted camera
• A less-invasive surgical approach than that of traditional open surgery
• Faster recovery (in most cases)

“The robot uses small incisions for the camera,” Dr. NeMoyer says. “They’re about the size of my fingertip. Surgery takes us about an hour or two.”

For Dr. NeMoyer, cases like Joe’s are the most rewarding aspect of thoracic surgery. “We’re able to help patients prevent widespread cancer before they even know it’s there. And they’re back home within a day or two.”

Smooth Recovery and Renewed Purpose

Joe’s surgery went smoothly, and he was home the next day with minimal discomfort.

“I never had any moment of concern at all because of the way I was treated by everybody,” Joe says. “From the valet to the receptionist to the technicians, anybody that you met in the Hackensack umbrella treated you with great respect and like you were very important.”

Finding New Ways to Serve

Today, Joe is still cancer-free and more active in his church community than ever, teaching the St. Dominic's youth group and becoming an altar server.

“I’m an altar server at 77 years old,” he says. “I never became an altar boy because we lived too far away.”

Joe’s routine follow-up visits with Dr. NeMoyer continue to show clear scans.

“We saw him yesterday for one of his six-month follow-ups,” she says. “It’s just really nice to have that rapport with patients.”

Next Steps & Resources

• Meet our source, Rachel NeMoyer, M.D., thoracic surgeon.
• To make an appointment with a thoracic surgeon near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.
• Learn more about thoracic surgery at Hackensack Meridian Health.