The phone rang, and James Michael Bays, known to his friends as Mike, smiled when he saw who was calling. It was his daughter, Amy, or as he calls her, “his heartbeat.” The past month had been hard on them both.
Mike had been watching his prostate numbers closely for a few years, but his urologist, Dr. Nathan Rademaker, had diagnosed him with cancer and told him it was time to act. Mike and Amy had been discussing treatment options, one of which was proton therapy from a clinic about an hour away.
Mike was born and raised in Stillwater, and the thought of going out of town for treatment was less than appealing. He would do what he needed to do to get healthy, but in his heart of hearts, he hoped for a better option.
That’s when Amy delivered news that would change the course of his future.
“Dad,” Amy said. “I’ve got some great news. They’re bringing this new machine to Stillwater, and it’s fabulous. You’ll be able to do everything right here. It’s state of the art.”
Mike was overjoyed. He trusted Amy’s advice because of her medical background. Amy Kaiser is an MRI and CT technologist at Stillwater Medical Center and was part of the cross-departmental training team for the Elekta Unity, an MR-Linac designed for precision radiation therapy.
The timing was almost too good to be true for Mike, but he’s no stranger to serendipity.
He’s faced many tragedies in his life. One of his first memories was of his childhood home being damaged by a tornado. Just a year later, it burned to the ground. A few years after that, his father was disabled in a car accident, leaving his mother as the sole provider for their thirteen children. So, at an early age, he and his siblings began working to make ends meet by the sweat of their brows and the generosity of community members who offered odd jobs and support to keep them going.
“Everything had a way of working out,” Mike said. “We were a tight family, and somebody up there was looking out for us.”
This time around, things were working out for Mike thanks to years of preparation and the dedicated staff at the Stillwater Cancer Center. Dr. Nathan Uy had the bold vision to purchase the machine. As a radiation oncologist, he knew the incredible difference precise imaging and accurate dosage delivery can make during treatment. And he trusted his team to make that vision a reality.
Leading the effort was David Hatfield, a manager-dosimetrist in radiation oncology. He coordinated communication with all involved, assembled training teams and was part of hiring the center’s first full-time medical physicist, Michael Chacko. It was a significant amount of work and coordination for all involved – on top of the center’s day-to-day work treating patients. The team was fueled by the belief that the payoff was well worth it.
“To get from groundbreaking to treating Mr. Bays, there’s been two years’ worth of cooperation with engineers, physicists, construction management folks, I could go on and on,” David said. “From the day the concrete was poured, it’s been all about the patient. Everything was designed around the patient’s experience.”
What’s remarkable about Unity is its ability to allow doctors to see clearly and create custom, adaptive treatment plans so patients can receive the best results possible with fewer treatments.
“The future of cancer care is going to be the best results for the patients in the safest way possible but with fewer treatments and fewer visits to the doctor. That’s already becoming the gold standard,” David said.
What that meant for Mike was 20 days of treatment versus the traditional 42 days. There was no disruption in treatment when Dr. Uy was traveling, thanks to remote access and a dedicated team on site. Unity adapted to Mike’s specific anatomy for each individual treatment and also provided comfort settings to reduce anxiety. That meant Mike could pass the time listening to his favorite artists – Bob Seger and Cher.
“It’s a very good environment in there. Every day, I would come in to get on the machine, and they would make sure I was comfortable. The chain of command is in effect, and they are all very well trained at what they are doing,” Mike said.
“I felt so comfortable the whole time. I’d joke with them or ask them a little bit about their kids to get to know them. They’re all so happy all the time. They’re fabulous people,” Mike said.
But perhaps the greatest benefit of his treatment was the accuracy. Mike had nearly zero side effects outside of fatigue. He finished his treatment in October, and his follow-up CT scan showed no trace of cancer. He is grateful to the staff at the Stillwater Cancer Center and even more aware of just how many people are impacted by cancer.
“Once I walked in these doors, I realized how many people come in having cancer problems. To think what Stillwater Medical is doing for everyone and how great the need is really changed my perspective,” Mike said.
The Stillwater Cancer Center manages the care of over 2,200 new patients in Oncology and Hematology every year. Dr. Uy sees nearly 300 of these patients in radiation oncology. Having this advanced technology will enable his team to accelerate treatment and provide even more members of the Stillwater and surrounding communities with the most advanced care available. Their passion for the patient drives their dedication to innovation.
“Technology doesn’t end with what we have today. We still have hardware and software updates that are coming, which will allow us to do continuous motion management, allowing us to treat more types of cancer more accurately,” David said.
Unity is currently being used in the treatment of prostate and brain cancer. As the technology advances, so does hope for those battling cancer. The Stillwater Medical Foundation is raising funds to supplement the cost and maintenance of Unity. Visit www.smc-foundation.org to make a gift today.
Your support makes a difference in the lives of patients like Mike. With a clean bill of health, he’s looking forward to spending more time with his three children, grandchildren and a two-year-old great-grandson.
