Lung scan saves Nashville man’s life

At 63, Greg Hall felt great. He attended his longstanding martial arts several times a week, performed comedy and music shows across the country, and stayed active enough to outlast most people half his age.

But one night, he noticed something small — a faint rattle at the end of his exhale. He brushed it off for almost a year, assuming it was allergies. Then a friend’s heart scare pushed him to take action.

“My buddy got a heart scan, and a few days later they found a blockage,” Greg said. “So I figured, I’ll get one too. My heart looked good, but then I thought,  let’s go ahead and do a lung scan while I’m at it.  Best hundred bucks I’ve ever spent.”

That quick decision changed everything.

Doctors found a 4 1/2 inch tumor in Greg’s lung — roughly the size of a grapefruit. “I couldn’t believe it,” Greg said. “Something that big was in my lung, and I had no idea. I felt fine. I was working out, running, and staying active.” 

At first, the scan results looked like pneumonia. But after antibiotics didn’t help, Greg’s longtime primary care doctor at Ascension Saint Thomas, Dr. Michael Miller, referred him to  Dr. Victor Kha, pulmonologist at Mid-State Pulmonary Associates. Dr. Kha performed a bronchoscopy — a procedure that allows doctors to examine the airways and collect tissue samples using a thin, flexible camera —which confirmed Greg had lung cancer.

Greg was quickly connected to Dr. Wade Iams, medical oncologist at Tennessee Oncology, who recommended a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy before surgery. “They started me on treatment right away,” Greg said. “I called it my Chemo Chronicles. I even made videos for other patients to show them it’s not as scary as you think. Chemo didn’t hurt when they gave it to me — and I’d still go for a little one-mile run afterward, just to prove I could.”

On December 22, 2024, Greg underwent surgery with Dr. John Lazar, thoracic surgeon at Ascension Saint Thomas., who used advanced robotic technology to remove the tumor.

“He just knocked it out of the park,” Greg said. “The margins were clean, and the next day I was walking laps around the hospital before heading home for Christmas.”

Just two months later, Greg filmed his first comedy special, Greg Hall: Gregarious, in Sarasota, Florida. “It was wild,” he said. “After everything, to be back on stage making people laugh — and then seeing millions of people watch those clips online — that was pure joy.”

Through it all, Greg credits his faith, his doctors, exercise, and a simple decision to listen to his body.

“I ignored that little rattle for a year,” he said. “But that five-minute scan saved my life. If something feels off — even just a small thing — get it checked out. It’s worth it.”

Learn more about lung cancer screenings and find out if you are at risk for lung cancer.