Unwilling to give up, Jill began searching for alternative solutions. At 65 years of age, she wasn't ready to die. Glancing through a local newspaper one day at their home in Chino Valley, Arizona, John came across the story of a young man whose brain tumor had been successfully treated with protons at a place called Loma Linda University Medical Center. When he shared this with Jill, both wondered if proton therapy could be the answer. With curiosity and hope, Jill dialed the 800 number that was included in the article.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
It is estimated that in the year 2000, more than 300,000 Americans will die from lung cancer. Treatment choices and chances of long-term survival with lung cancer depend on type, location, size, lymph node involvement, and whether the cancer has spread outside the lungs. Currently, surgery is the standard procedure for persons who are diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. Many, like Jill Higgins, have pre-existing conditions that make operations or standard radiation impossible. For this select group, experts at the Loma Linda University Proton Treatment Center are using protons to irradiate cancer that is otherwise untreatable.