Dolton resident unfurls Chicago's Bear Down flag

Advocate South Suburban Hospital patient Dominique Jones was recognized as the Chicago Bears’ special guest during the Bear Down Flag Ceremony on September 25.

In partnership with Advocate Health Care, the Chicago Bears invited Jones, a 30-year-old Dolton resident, to help unfurl the Bear Down flag and participate in pregame activities at Soldier Field. She was joined on the field by her twin brother, Demetrie, before returning to the stands to watch the Bears win against the Texans (23 - 20).

“My experience was great. I really enjoyed myself, and with it being my first [Chicago Bears] game ever, it was amazing,” Jones said.

Earlier this year, stomach pains brought Jones to Advocate South Suburban Hospital’s Emergency Department. She quickly learned that the nausea and sharp stomach pains she experienced were caused by a meal she ate the previous night.

And as far as Jones is concerned, she couldn’t be more thankful for the meal that disagreed with her. Because during her treatment for a stomach virus, the Advocate South Suburban’s emergency team discovered a mass on her kidney that turned out to be cancer.

“I didn’t have any symptoms [of kidney cancer]. No back pains or anything,” Jones said.

Learning that doctors needed to surgically remove a mass on her kidney was shocking. Hearing that she could lose a kidney, and possibly be diagnosed with cancer, was terrifying.

“There was a 50 / 50 chance that I would have cancer,” Dominique said. “I definitely had sleepless nights,” she said.

But after a virtual visit with, Dr. Arpeet Shah, who specializes in urology, Jones said she remained prayerful and optimistic.

Jones received Advocate South Suburban Hospital’s second outpatient partial nephrectomy to remove the mass from her kidney – a procedure that typically requires an overnight hospital stay. Instead, Jones walked out of the hospital 3 hours after surgery and went home to recover, feeling little to no pain, she said.

“Medical research shows that getting the patient home, when it’s safe, gives them a better place to recover than a hospital bed. And, since no one wants to stay in the hospital any longer than necessary, especially in these times of COVID, we started asking ‘Why can’t we get more of our surgery patients home the same day?” Dr. Shah said.

Since the initial surge of COVID-19 cases, Dr. Shah saw a significant number of patients postponing much-needed surgical care because they feared spending two nights in the hospital to recover. To give these patients peace of mind, Dr. Shah teamed up with Dr. Anjit Kumar, an anesthesiologist at Advocate South Suburban Hospital, to find a solution. Their collaboration combines the latest robotic surgery techniques with advances in pain medication for faster recovery.

Doctors removed a cancerous mass during Dominique’s procedure. She returned to work and her normal schedule, which includes singing with a local Gospel choir, about 3 months after surgery. Jones continues to monitor her health with regular check-ups with her physician.