Author: Leslie Toldo
For 61 years, there has been one constant in Jim Stillwell’s life- his wife. When she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Jim knew what he needed to do.
“I took vows and I meant them,” Jim said. “I do not want my wife in a nursing home. It is my job to take care of her.”
It has not always been easy, but Jim’s commitment has never wavered, even when his own health took a scary turn a year ago.
“My oncologist in Lansing called it an aggressive form of prostate cancer. That scared me,” Jim said.
The plan was always for Jim to be treated with radiation, but he started his treatment with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) to lower his testosterone. When the time finally came, radiation oncologist Dr. Brooke Spencer gave Jim a simple choice about his care.
“I live in Owosso, and she told me I could have radiation done either in Flint or Lansing,” Jim said. “I was worried about what might happen to my wife if I got in an accident on my way to a treatment. I thought the roads at the time were better between Owosso and Flint, so I chose Flint.”
That one seemingly simple choice changed the whole course of Jim’s treatment, because instead of having traditional radiation treatment, he now had the option to go to be treated at McLaren Proton Therapy Center in Flint.
“Proton therapy offers patients treatment with more targeted radiation with potentially less risk for side effects than traditional photon radiation,” said Dr. Spencer. “Photons, or x-rays, travel to the tumor, then continue through the body, leaving an exit dose of radiation behind the tumor. Protons travel to the tumor, then stop. With no exit dose, that means healthy organs- like the bladder, bowel and rectum- and tissue around the tumor are not exposed to radiation damage.”
Having a better quality of life during treatment was especially important to Jim, since he is his wife’s primary caregiver. The only thing that slowed him down during his treatments at the McLaren Proton Therapy Center was fatigue.
“People keep telling me I need to ask for help,” Jim said. “But it is difficult because I am usually someone who helps people.”
Jim came to rely on the staff at the Proton Center, who offered him a tremendous amount of support when he needed it most.
“Those people, their job was to keep me alive,” Jim said. “They were so pleasant, and when I finished, I realized I was going to miss them. You get to know them like family. I recommend the McLaren Proton Therapy Center.”
A strong faith and loving church family also helped Jim make it through this journey.
“My faith has gotten me through this. I don’t know how people can go through something like this without faith,” Jim said. “Each day, for 44 days, I lay on the treatment table for 45 minutes at a time and prayed.”
To learn more about the McLaren Proton Therapy Center in Flint, or to schedule a consultation or a second opinion, visit mclaren.org/protontherapy. You can also call 855 MY PROTON (697-7686) for more information.