The first month in Boston has gone by fairly quickly. A couple of weeks ago Madi was presented with Celtic tickets, her first professional basketball game. Just prior to Easter she won Red Sox tickets... ground level between 3rd and home base, 4 rows up. Angela and dad watched on TV, it was a great game! The Sox were behind 0-5, and won in the bottom of the 9th. A traditional Easter supper... dirty water dogs at Fenway ;-)
Madi's mom Colleen was in for almost three weeks, just left Saturday. It was a nice long visit that offered quality time for both mom and daughter.
Chris, Angela, and Rodger will remain in Boston with Madi for another two weeks. Then home for a month... Woo Hoo!
Madi's mom Colleen was in for almost three weeks, just left Saturday. It was a nice long visit that offered quality time for both mom and daughter.
Chris, Angela, and Rodger will remain in Boston with Madi for another two weeks. Then home for a month... Woo Hoo!
This is the inside of the Proton treatment room. Each patient has a custom made mask which is secured to the table. Treatment is M-F and only about 5-10 minutes once you're in and there is no sound or sensation whatsoever.
The unit on the left side of the picture does a full circle around the room. While a tad menacing at first, the biggest challenge now seems to be staying awake.
Madi's throat is starting to get quite sore but she still seems to have pretty good energy... all things considered.
The unit on the left side of the picture does a full circle around the room. While a tad menacing at first, the biggest challenge now seems to be staying awake.
Madi's throat is starting to get quite sore but she still seems to have pretty good energy... all things considered.
This is the back of the Proton machine... looks like something out of the movie Transformers. The cover is 4 foot thick concrete and weighs 20 tons. The unit central to the 3 Proton machines is even called the cybertron... very Transformers
Proton radiation is different than traditional IMRT, which is like a broad brush by comparison. With Proton, a mold is made of the patients tumor. From that, a custom guide is made which is fit in to the machine prior to each treatment. This process directs the radiation and energy levels to an exact area, offering oncologists the flexibility to zap the thicker parts a tumor with high doses, while also drastically reducing the radiation levels around the edges to minimize and ideally eliminate radiation to surrounding areas. We've heard the term 'pencil beam', which sounds very precise.
Proton radiation is different than traditional IMRT, which is like a broad brush by comparison. With Proton, a mold is made of the patients tumor. From that, a custom guide is made which is fit in to the machine prior to each treatment. This process directs the radiation and energy levels to an exact area, offering oncologists the flexibility to zap the thicker parts a tumor with high doses, while also drastically reducing the radiation levels around the edges to minimize and ideally eliminate radiation to surrounding areas. We've heard the term 'pencil beam', which sounds very precise.
