By Theresa Edwards Makrush

Upon completion of treatment, a recent patient wrote a letter to the editor of The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville’s major daily newspaper. In it he describes how welcome and comfortable he felt in the city as a temporary resident during treatment. He heaps praise on the staff at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute as well as on businesses and organizations that he frequented during his stay. The letter must have been well-received by the editorial board because a few weeks ago it was featured as part of their daily editorial.

It begins, “Let’s give our city a round of applause for making such a powerful and heartening impression on John Robinson, a Georgia resident who recently spent two months in Jacksonville. The best way to give full justice to Robinson’s feelings toward our city and citizens is to simply offer excerpts from the letter he mailed to the Times-Union Editorial Board.” To read more, visit the Times-Union’s website.

By Theresa Edwards Makrush

A unique art project by patients is enjoying a “third life” as an online feature on floridaproton.org and our Facebook and Twitter accounts. It started out as a patchwork quilt made of paper squares and cut paper designs that was displayed near the art table in the lobby.

It was later transformed into a book, each square a page, bound with three lengths of twine. The twelve squares were then filled with thank you notes from individuals – patients and caregivers – as a Thanksgiving gift to the Institute’s staff.

Today, the pages are a graphic art feature on the website. When a website visitor rolls the computer mouse over a quilt square/page, one of the 40 heartfelt thank you messages is revealed. A few examples are:

“Thank you for every smile and greeting, for every encouraging word and smile and for all the extras that just materialize. The staff is wonderful! The facility and technology are amazing – thus the experience here has been far less stressful.”

“We have had a life-changing experience here at UF Proton in so many ways. The love and caring of the staff, the camaraderie of the patients, the friends we have made, we are so thankful for. The science, the engineering, the collective knowledge, the ability to cure cancers and safely care for all of us, we are thankful for this, too. We will miss you all. Thanks for all of you!”

To read more, click here.

Our local community and our vendors go above and beyond for our patients. There are many Jacksonville area businesses, nonprofits, and cultural groups that provide discounts or donations year-round for those being treated at our facility. Last month we received a surprise gift of a new shuttle bus from THE PLAYERS Championship. The timing couldn’t be better since our original van, in service since 2011 and rolling over nearly 200,000 miles, is starting to show its age. The original van was a donation organized by proton alum Markus Mittermayr. His Kiwanis chapter raised funds to help defray the cost of purchase from Nimnicht Chevrolet. Over the years, many proton alumni, patients and other donors have contributed to the maintenance and staffing of the transportation service. Patients frequently remark that the proton van, thanks in large part to driver Mitch Kubaki, makes their lives much easier during a difficult time. I am grateful for the community’s support of our mission to provide exceptional care to cancer patients.

Stuart L. Klein

Executive Director

A new 14-passenger shuttle bus for patient transportation and a $5,000 donation to enhance the social programming for adolescents and young adults who are being treated for cancer was received by the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute from THE PLAYERS Championship during the annual Red Coat Ride Out.

THE PLAYERS volunteer leadership – the Red Coats – presented the gifts on Sept. 25 as part of its record $9 million charitable outreach in Northeast Florida, funds generated by the annual professional golf tournament held in Ponte Vedra Beach.

The UF Health Proton Therapy Institute has a van to transport patients and their caregivers, primarily children and their families, who stay in nearby housing or at the Ronald McDonald House, to and from their daily treatments. “Many of our patients are from other countries or cities, and navigating unfamiliar roadways is an unnecessary stress for them,” said Stuart Klein, executive director of the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute. “The shuttle service is part of the comprehensive social support we have in place to help patients cope with their treatment,” he said.

The UF Health Proton Therapy Institute has treated more than 650 adolescents and young adults and 1,600 children. It has the largest pediatric proton therapy program in the world, treating on average 25 children per day.

“In the United States, cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death in young people age 15-39,” said Daniel J. Indelicato, M.D., the William and Joan Mendenhall Endowed Chair of Pediatric Radiotherapy and associate professor at the UF College of Medicine. “For many cancers, this age range has seen little improvement in survival over the past four decades. Some of this is related to poor understanding of patient and tumor biology that distinguishes cancers in this population. But adolescents and young adults also have unique needs and often feel out of place in an oncology network designed for children and older adults. If we can create a supportive environment more tailored to adolescents and young adults, it will improve their ability to cope with treatment, and ultimately, we hope, improve their outcomes,” he said.

Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy that can effectively target tumors and reduce side effects. For young people whose bodies are still growing and developing, proton therapy offers the advantage of reducing the amount of radiation in healthy tissue which may reduce the incidence of health complications and secondary cancers later in life.

“We are deeply grateful to THE PLAYERS and the Red Coats for your generosity,” said Klein. “Your gifts will make a positive impact on the patients entrusted to our care.”

THE PLAYERS was among the early donors who made the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute possible. Since opening in Jacksonville in 2006, more than 7,700 patients have walked through THE PLAYERS Championship lobby at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute.