Author: Leslie Toldo
When Lindsey Danias started having pain in her left breast, she did not think much of it at first.
“I felt a large cyst, but I did not decide to get it checked out until the pain became unbearable and my breast felt hot,” said Lindsey. “Cancer had not crossed my mind. No one in my immediate family ever had breast cancer.”
The 35-year-old’s doctor did not want to take any chances and sent Lindsey for a mammogram.
“At that point, I was preparing myself for the worst,” Lindsey said. “I had started to plan what I believed I was about to go through.”
Lindsey had a biopsy and, before her doctor got the chance to call her with the results, she saw them online. She had breast cancer.
“Once you are there, there are just so many emotions,” Lindsey said.
Her oncologist had a plan- six months of chemotherapy, followed by a lumpectomy, then radiation. But instead of recommending traditional photon radiation, the oncologist referred Lindsey to the McLaren Proton Therapy Center.
“I had never heard about proton therapy, but the doctor explained some of the benefits to me,” Lindsey said. “He said that proton therapy posed less long-term risk to my heart than traditional radiation.”
This is especially true with left-sided breast cancers, like Lindsey’s, because of the proximity of the tumor to the heart and other organs. It all comes down to the way radiation is delivered with protons versus photons.
“Conventional radiation, delivered by photons goes through the body, exposing normal tissue to unnecessary radiation that can lead to side effects and affect quality of life,” said McLaren Proton Therapy Center Medical Director Dr. Hesham Gayar. “For left-sided breast cancer, conventional radiation can lead to increased risk of heart damage. Proton beams stop at the target and avoid unnecessary radiation to healthy tissue. In Lindsey’s case, avoiding the risk of future heart disease.”
Lindsey was sold on proton radiation, especially after meeting with Dr. Gayar.
“Dr. Gayar was just so thorough,” Lindsey said. “For the first time, in this journey where I felt like a deer in headlights, his bedside manner just made me feel I was in good hands. I had been to so many appointments, but he was so optimistic and so excited, the way he talked to me, I knew I would be fine.”
After chemotherapy, Lindsey had the lumpectomy. She started proton therapy in July and finished just in time for her 10-year-old son’s first day of school.
“I dropped him off at school every day before my treatments,” Lindsey said. “I have sheltered my son and kept him in the dark about the cancer. At the same time, he was my motivation. I don’t have a lot of family. I had to get through it to be there for him.”
Today, Lindsey’s focus is on living life to the fullest and being there for her son. She is on medication to prevent a recurrence.
“It is the scariest thing that I think I will ever go through. Every day, you think about it. It never goes away. It will always be in the back of my head. It gives me a different perspective on life,” Lindsey said.
That new perspective got Lindsey through the toughest times, during all her treatments- the chemo, the lumpectomy, and the proton therapy.
“It is tough. It is hard to see light at the end of the tunnel, but it is there, and you will get through it,” Lindsey said. “And I would tell anyone facing cancer to listen to their doctors, have a good support system, and take it all one day at a time.”
To learn more about proton therapy, or to schedule a consultation to find out if it is right for you, visit the McLaren Proton Therapy Center’s website.