Alan Simpson enjoys research. As an attorney, it’s part of the territory when working legal cases and navigating the law. So it’s no surprise that his first instinct was to investigate his medical options when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He reviewed more than 100 published medical papers and articles before deciding on proton therapy. Minimal side-effects and positive outcomes helped make his decision. Today Alan is back in the office, managing a rigorous schedule. He is free of cancer and grateful to Scripps Proton Therapy center for his success.
As a goalie for a competitive soccer club in San Diego, Kasey Harvey has trained herself to be ready for whatever comes at her on the field. That training proved vital off the field as well, when Kasey, 14, was diagnosed with a rare, fast-growing form of cancer in her sinus requiring the precise radiation treatment of proton therapy. Unlike X-ray radiation, protons stop where the tumor ends to minimize harmful exposure past the tumor. Since completing treatment, Kasey has returned to school and the soccer field. She helps raise money for children’s hospitals around the country. She is grateful for the care she received and honored to be helping others.
Diagnosed at age 40, Marti Shelton wanted to reduce long-term risks of treatment for her breast cancer. She began to thoroughly research her options. Her radiation oncologist explained that radiation delivered to healthy tissues can affect the heart and lungs, and may increase the risk of secondary cancers, lung injuries and major cardiac events later in life. A safer option for her was proton therapy. Marti recently ran her first 10K since her treatment, and enjoys hiking the Arizona mountains in the early morning.
Greg Browning never makes a major decision without thoroughly researching it—and his treatment for prostate cancer was no exception. When the Juneau, Alaska resident was first diagnosed, his physician recommended surgery to remove the prostate. But Greg was determined to research every alternative. Instead of surgery, Greg chose proton therapy to successfully treat his prostate cancer. Greg remembers his treatment at Scripps Proton Therapy Center fondly as a “radiation vacation.”
