Wedding Bells and Ceremonial Chimes Meet at Cancer Patient’s Final Treatment

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (May 31, 2018) – A heartwarming wedding at UF Health Proton Therapy Institute proves that love conquers all, even cancer. On her final day of treatment, patient Lindsey Morton and her fiancé Ben Jackson will become the second couple to marry in the lobby of UF Health Proton Therapy Institute. Morton and Jackson, both 33 years old, will say their vows in front of family and friends today at 2 p.m. EDT.

This is Morton’s second bout with cancer. At two years old, she was diagnosed with a cancer which affected her kidney and bowels. Thirty-one years later, after experiencing intense pain during her pregnancy, routine screenings detected sacral chordoma in her spine growing on the outer sheath of her S1 nerve. This new diagnosis is likely a secondary cancer brought about by the initial treatment.

After having two surgeries to remove the tumor, Morton left her home and family in England to come to Jacksonville and receive proton therapy. Because protons can attack the tumor site directly and avoid exposure to surrounding healthy tissue, Morton is looking forward to a long, cancer-free future with her soon-to-be husband and their children, 5-year-old Lexie and 1-year-old Harper.

“We’ve been together for 10 years and engaged for 9 years. It’s been one of those things where we keep meaning to have the wedding but time keeps getting away,” said Morton. “I think it will be nice. It will be like closing an old door and opening a new one all on the same day.”

As is customary when a patient finishes treatment at the Institute, Morton will walk down the lobby stairs and close their wedding ceremony by ringing the large hanging chimes – signaling an end to one era and the beginning of another.

Everyone at UF Health Proton Therapy Institute is excited to host another wedding at the facility. Staff and fellow patients are rallying around the couple with well-wishes and support. Members of the community are also embracing the couple, with vendors like videographer Adi Meco of AM Productions donating time to ensure that every moment of the family’s special day is captured.

“We are thrilled to be part of such a special occasion for another couple,” said Stuart Klein, executive director of UF Health Proton Therapy Institute. “At UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, we don’t just want to provide the best possible cancer treatment, we want to help our patients build a community and support each other. I can think of no better way to do that than to help Lindsey and Ben celebrate the next phase of their lives.”

About UF Health Proton Therapy Institute

UF Health Proton Therapy Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization affiliated with the UF College of Medicine and the UF Health Cancer Center, a Florida Cancer Center of Excellence, dedicated to delivering state-of-the-art cancer treatment and setting new standards for treating and curing cancer. It is an accredited radiation oncology facility by the American College of Radiology. The cancer treatment facility houses both conventional radiation and proton therapy, and delivers proton therapy to 100 patients a day. For more information about the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, please visit www.floridaproton.org, or call toll-free 877-426-9790.

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