The reason that U.S Army Veteran Betzaida Ingram applied for VA health care benefits at the VA Maryland Health Care System in 2020 was simple: she wanted all of her medical records in one place. Now 65, she credits the VA Maryland Health Care System with saving her life twice, first from cancer and then from a heart condition she didn’t know she had.

“I’ve been a long-time smoker. When I first came to the VA, one of my doctors said it was VA protocol to have a lung scan because of smoking. That scan showed a lesion, a node on my lung,” said Ingram, who was surprised by the finding. “It was caught early — stage 1 just from that test.”

Thus began her battle with lung cancer. She was offered the opportunity to participate in the VALOR study, a study that compares early stage (stage 1) cancer surgery to radiation. Typically, radiation is used for patients who are not good candidates for surgery. Ingram was randomized into the surgery arm of the study and underwent a left upper lobe lung lobectomy in 2023. She did not receive radiation and with the successful surgery, it took her just five weeks to recover.

“I was up and about shortly after it. By removing my lobe, there were able to remove all cancer and there was no evidence of cancer on my follow-ups,” she said.

As part of the study, her lung health is monitored every six months for the duration of the trial. “The trial coordinator ensured all my appointments were made for me. and all I had to do is show up for VIP treatment. Since all the cancer was removed during surgery, I did not need further treatment.”

No longer a smoker and knowing that many people diagnosed with lung cancer have more bleak outcomes, she feels lucky about her health status. “Three years later, I am cancer free and thriving. I’m alive because of a VA protocol for new patients who smoke.”

Just when Ingram thought she was out of the woods, she began having fainting issues. She didn’t think much of it until she fainted repeatedly and then did so while on a treadmill at the gym on Dec. 31, 2025, while wearing a halter monitor given to her by a VA cardiologist. She was taken to the Emergency Department at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center.

“The EMTs found that my heart was not beating right.”

She was then transferred to the Emergency Department at the Baltimore VA Medical Center where she was diagnosed with Bradycardia, or a slow heart rate, and a complete heart block — a heart condition in which electrical signals are blocked in two of the three main pathways that send signals to the ventricles.

She also learned there is no treatment for this condition if it is asymptomatic, but once symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pains, dizziness, or fainting begins, the treatment is a permanent pacemaker.

“The procedure took place at the Baltimore VA Medical Center. The device ensures that my heart rate never goes below 50 bpm, keeping me symptom free and alive.”

“When it comes to the heart, there are so many different conditions that are very common, but we seldom hear about them until it happens to us,” she said.

Now, after beating lung cancer and getting her heart health into tip top shape, Ingram lives an active life, recently running a 10K race near her home in Harford County. These days, she is helping her daughter plan her wedding and relishes her new role as Mother of the Bride.

— Rosalia Scalia is the public affairs specialist for VA Maryland Health Care System in Baltimore.