ESTERO, Fla. — A new proton therapy center in Estero, Florida, is drawing patients from across the state and beyond, offering hope and advanced treatment options for those battling cancer.
Matt Bleakely, originally from Boston, is one such patient who found comfort in receiving treatment close to his family in Naples. “We grew up lifeguarding on Cape Cod,” Bleakely said, reflecting on his past before facing a life-threatening diagnosis. “Being a 27-year-old, getting a cancer diagnosis, especially brain cancer. It’s scary,” he said, describing the shock he felt at the start of the year.
Bleakely’s determination led him to connect with doctors at Southwest Florida Proton, where he is receiving treatment. The facility houses the Proteus One cyclotron, a machine delivering precise cancer treatment. There are fewer than 50 of them in the whole country.
Dr. Shannon MacDonald, a specialist in proton therapy, explained the benefits of the treatment. “What’s been really rewarding is patients, finding out about the proton center here who have planned to go to another location,” she said. Proton therapy uses charged particles to target tumors with precision, sparing nearby healthy organs and tissues from radiation.
“Rather than the older way of delivering protons, which was to scatter them and make a bigger sort of spread out beam. This is layers that are being painted on with a little tiny dot, and it makes the plans look better in terms of treating the tumor and sparing nearby healthy organs and tissues from seeing radiation,” MacDonald said.
SEE HOW PROTON THERAPY WORKS BELOW: …