Though she started noticing something a little different about her body a year ago, it wasn’t until July 31 when Susan Emory and her husband Tom were taking a ride around Deltaville that she experienced a pain that eventually led to a scary diagnosis.

“About a year ago, I started noticing I had a distended tummy,” Susan said. “I said to myself, ‘Well, I’m 58 years old and most 58-year-olds do have skinny arms and legs and a bigger belly,’ so I resigned myself to the fact that getting a little fat was normal.

“But on July 31, Tom and I were joyriding over in Deltaville and I began to have a really intense pain on my right side,” she said. The pain lasted about 15 to 20 minutes. “I was very concerned and we debated on whether or not to go get it checked at the hospital.”

The couple then headed over to Newport News. “I even asked, ‘Do we just want to go to dinner or go on to the hospital,’&rdquo...