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SOUTHFIELD — Early detection is crucial when it comes to cancer because screening for early signs of disease not only creates opportunities for effective treatment but also significantly improves survival odds. Yet many individuals only discover they have cancer after symptoms develop, and that often means it has already progressed to Stage 3 or 4, or possibly metastasized to other parts of the body.
That’s exactly what unfolded for the late Warren Ringold, M.D., founder of Bionicc Body Screening — and the reason why he became passionate about helping others avoid the suffering he faced due to his own late-stage cancer diagnosis.
“My father was a family physician for over 40 years, and he started a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) clinic that focused on imaging for sports and auto accident injuries,” said Ryan Ringold, who joined the company as director last September with a mission to carry on his father’s legacy. “He became short of breath while he was at work one day in 2018, left for the hospital, and was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. It required aggressive treatment, which led to cruel side effects but, thankfully, put the disease in remission for a year. Then it resurfaced as a brain tumor, and he faced another brutal battle that resulted in a second remission. My father was a fighter, and we were blessed to have had a lot of extra moments to cherish with him, but he contracted pneumonia and passed away last summer.”
Back around the time of his cancer treatment, Dr. Ringold started hearing about companies in Canada that were performing full-body MRI screenings. Ryan recalled that this piqued his father’s interest, and he wondered what his outcome might have been had he gotten into his own MRI machine a year earlier and discovered his cancer in the early stages when it was much more treatable.
That realization compelled Dr. Ringold to convert his MRI clinic into a place where people could get preventive full-body MRI screenings.
“Full-body MRIs screen from the top of the head to about mid-thigh,” Ryan explained. “The technology is capable of detecting tumors as small as a pea, or from 1 to 1.5 centimeters. It also detects early signs of multiple sclerosis, aneurysms, kidney stones, degenerative disc disease of the spine, liver disease — literally hundreds of different abnormalities. The hope is to detect early so that the prognosis is better.”
It is crucial, however, to understand that MRIs are an additional tool and not a replacement for routine screenings like colonoscopies and mammograms. Even with the advancements in full-body scans, the screenings ordered annually by a patient’s physician remain irreplaceable for comprehensive health monitoring.
“People tell us they’ve been waiting for something like this and cannot believe full-body MRIs are finally available right here in Michigan,” Ryan said. “My father was determined to make this service available to anyone who wants it. He was a very beloved man, and his spirit is definitely still with us.”
February “Love Yourself” Special: Mention this ad and get a $450 discount on a full-body MRI screening.
Bionicc Body Screening is located at 26550 Northwestern Hwy. in Southfield. For more information or to schedule a consultation, call (833) 246-6422 or visit bioniccbodyscreening.com.
