Author: Leslie Toldo
On Black Friday, 2024, 35-year-old Rachel Gustafson woke up with an aching right armpit.
“I thought it was because of how I was sleeping,” Rachel said. “But the pain didn’t go away, so I started feeling around and noticed a lump that felt like a Tic Tac in my underarm.”
Rachel, who works in the medical field, immediately went to her doctor, who ordered a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound.
“They saw the lump I felt in a lymph node,” said Rachel. “I had a biopsy, then I waited for the results. The hardest part of cancer is the waiting. The internet is not your friend. It will take your mind a bunch of places.”
When Rachel finally got the news, it was devastating. She had metastatic cancer in her right breast. Metastatic refers to cancer that has spread from its original site to other parts of the body; in this case, the lymph nodes.
“Before I got the results, I just kind of knew that it was cancer because, through this whole thing, I couldn’t put my arm down correctly, and it felt swollen and was bigger than the left side. I just knew it wasn’t right,” Rachel said.
Rachel had chemotherapy, then a lumpectomy with lymph node removal at Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Flint. Three of the seven lymph nodes removed were cancerous.
“The cancer was hormonal, and fortunately, my genetic test came back normal,” Rachel said. “I also took an Oncotype test that showed my risk of the cancer coming back was low.”
The next step on Rachel’s journey was radiation, and her next doctor wanted to make sure her future health was further protected by giving her the best possible treatment option.
“I saw Dr. Omar Gayar in September 2025, and he told me that, because of my age, proton therapy would be a lower risk option for me than traditional radiation,” Rachel said.
Photons, or X-rays, used in traditional radiation, deliver radiation to the tumor, then continue until they exit the body. That exit dose of radiation can damage healthy surrounding organs and tissue. Protons also deliver radiation directly to the tumor, but stop, meaning there is no exit dose and less risk.
"This is important for patients, especially younger patients like Rachel, because it means protecting the heart and reducing the risk of developing secondary cancers from the radiation many years down the road,” said Dr. Gayar, a radiation oncologist at the McLaren Proton Therapy Center.
“It sets your mind at ease that not all your organs are going to be exposed, so you have less chance of further cancers or diseases,” Rachel said. “Dr. Gayar explains everything in layman’s terms and will explain it to you again, no matter how many times you ask. He was great.”
Her side effects were minimal, with some expected redness- like a sunburn- at the treatment site.
“Getting the treatments is uncomfortable for about an hour, but so worth not having cancer,” Rachel said. “And everyone I came in contact with at the McLaren Proton Therapy Center was so nice and helpful, and they make sure you have everything you need.”
Support from her doctors and the rest of the staff was important, but Rachel says you should make sure you have more people helping you through the whole process.
“It is all very overwhelming. I would tell people to take someone to your appointments with you, because they may hear something you don’t. You get a lot of information all at once,” Rachel said. “Your friends and family are 100 percent what’s going to get you through it. I had a lot of support.”
Rachel knows that support will get her through the next phase of this journey.
“I have to get imaging done again in March,” Rachel said. “The mental side of that is still rough because you aren’t getting active treatment, you are just waiting, which can be scary,” Rachel said. “But I have a positive mindset, and I know that helps a lot.”
If you are interested in learning more about proton therapy, visit mclaren.org/protontherapy or call 855 MY PROTON (697-7686).