When navigating a cancer diagnosis, finding out you may need to travel for specialized treatment, such as proton therapy, can add an extra layer of stress. Whether it is finding a place to stay, way to commute to treatment, or group to connect with being away from home, any of these can be challenging to do while going through a difficult life transition.

Derek Smith serves as the technical imaging supervisor at Texas Center for Proton Therapy. Derek shares how his love for the health sciences led him to working in proton therapy and how he was in not one, but two movies alongside his family growing up.

Developing a list of resolutions – a life plan for the coming year – can help cancer patients envision their path forward, especially while undergoing treatment. Despite the physical and emotional challenges of cancer, it is possible to find a sense of renewal in the new year with a fresh outlook, a desire to try new things, or the urge to restart an old hobby.

Palliative medicine is a form of specialized care that aims to improve the quality of life for those with a serious illness. Proton therapy can be used as a form of palliative medicine. This highly-targeted form of treatment is non-invasive and effective in killing cancerous tumors throughout the body.

Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy that destroys cancerous cells by delivering high-energy proton beams directly to tumors, while minimizing exposure to surrounding tissue.

For many, cancer care is not just a career, but a calling. In honor of International Day of Medical Physics and Radiology Day, Limin Song, Ph.D., medical physicist, and Anthony Salazar, R.T., (R)(T), chief radiation therapist at Texas Center for Proton Therapy, both share what inspired them to specialize in proton therapy and a glimpse into their day-to-day life caring for cancer patients.