Amelia Howe from Rugby, Warwickshire, England, has a message for the world, and she plans to give a TED talk to share it. Treated for a soft tissue cancer, or sarcoma, four years ago at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, she is now in remission and a student at the University of Sheffield. With the help of the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the nonprofit that fulfills the wishes of critically ill children, she wants to use her wish to change cancer care language.

By using the influential platform of TED, a nonprofit that spreads ideas through powerful, short talks, Amelia hopes to help other cancer patients by convincing the medical community and caregivers, friends, family and others to replace war terminology, like “battle” and “fight”, with more useful and supportive language.

To learn more about Amelia’s story, click here to read an article that was published in her local newspaper.

For those who have spent time at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute over the past six years, whether it be for treatment, follow-up visits, Wednesday luncheons, special events or fundraisers, it is very likely they had the pleasure of meeting David Newby and his wife, Judy. A former patient and prostate cancer survivor, David was a regular volunteer spending time every week greeting people and helping with various activities. His pleasant personality and sense of humor was contagious to everyone he met. It is with saddened hearts that we share David Newby passed away early in February at age 74.

David was an exceptional man and had an uncanny ability to find happiness in his daily activities. A lifelong Boy Scout, David enjoyed working with youth. His career was spent in the classroom as a junior high math teacher and a track, basketball and football coach.

Judy Newby, David’s wife of 54 years, remembers him as an outgoing and patient man. He was someone who could do and learn anything he set his mind to and was always willing to lend a helping hand.

In his later years, David’s diagnosis of prostate cancer led the couple back to the Jacksonville area. After researching their options and discussing with a local Panama City orthopedic doctor, who was also a former patient of UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, they decided proton therapy was the best course of action because of the precise nature of treatment and low risk of side effects.

David completed his proton therapy in early 2013. Later that year, he and Judy moved back to Jacksonville, Fla., permanently. David made the decision to dedicate himself to being a part of the nurturing health care environment at UF Health Proton Therapy Institute.

“We were so impressed with the friendliness and the atmosphere during his treatments. It was unlike anything we had experienced at a health care facility and really made an impact on us. The Institute made a difficult time much better and easier than it could have been and he wanted to be a part of that for other people,” said Judy. “Volunteering was so fulfilling and always the highlight of our week. It was a way we could give back and thank them for all they’ve done for us. We also got a whole lot in return from the people we met along the way.”

We are truly grateful for David and Judy’s dedication to the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute. They have impacted hundreds of lives over the years with compassion, encouragement and even a joke or two. David will truly be missed, and we hope to keep his legacy going strong by continuing to provide the level of hospitality and kindness that he gave to all.

Thanks to the generosity of proton advocates Stan and Anne Land, we are able to honor the life and service of Brittany Smith, radiation therapist, with the creation of the Brittany Smith Professional Development Fund. Mr. and Mrs. Land thoughtfully and generously established the fund as a way of honoring the professionalism and dedication Brittany Smith brought daily to her job at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute. The fund will help support ongoing training and professional development activities of the radiation therapist team.

For additional information regarding this fund, please contact Kathy Murray, Director of Development, at (904) 588-1519.

Click here to read more about Brittany Smith’s life.

Some of the most effective cancer interventions developed in the modern age are prevention and early detection screening. Mammograms, PSA blood screening, and colonoscopies each have a role in improving survival rates for the most common cancers – breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer, respectively. When these cancers are detected early, treatments like proton therapy lead to better outcomes for patients. During the pandemic, fewer people are having these important cancer screenings, which can delay diagnoses and lead to less favorable prognoses.

Likewise, delaying treatment after receiving a cancer diagnosis can limit the chance for effective treatment. Cancer won’t wait for COVID-19 to go away, and neither should you. At the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, we have enhanced safety precautions in place following the CDC, ASTRO and UF Health COVID-19 guidelines.

The best method to stop the devastating effects of cancer is prevention. The next best method is proton therapy.

Stuart L. Klein

Executive Director