Cancer. What an emotionally-charged word. Most people run the gamut of emotions from fright to depression. But hopelessness can turn to hope at Loma Linda University Medical Center with proton beam therapy treatment.

Proton therapy IS NOT EXPERIMENTAL. Loma Linda has been using proton beam therapy to treat many types of cancer since 1990.

We are current and former patients, the recipients of proton beam therapy, who have banded together to help raise funds for more research into the technology that has saved so many lives.

Lives are saved each year—and thousands changed—thanks to the efforts of the physicists and doctors who are doing this important research. Moreover, being treated at Loma Linda is truly a magical experience. It is unlike any hospital experience one could imagine. Believe us when we tell you how wonderful this staff is and how much they care about all the things you are going through.

In 1970, Dr. James M. Slater began a program at Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) based upon the concept of treating patients who had cancer with a certain type of radiation that was sufficient to control tumors but less destructive to healthy tissues. Dr. Slater assembled a distinguished staff of doctors, physicists, and researchers to develop a set of protocols best suited for various forms of cancers.

Throughout the 1970's and 1980's, Dr. Slater and his colleagues, who were located at particle research facilities around the world, studied various particles and protocols which eventually led to the creation of the LLUMC proton system. It was determined through this research that proton radiation techniques could be administered by means of establishing a “Bragg peak”—that is, delivering maximum energy to the designated cancer site and minimizing energy delivery to unintended areas surrounding the site or the pathways to the site.

Thousands of patients have now been treated with proton. Additionally, from the patient perspective, Loma Linda brings to the table a holistic approach to treatment. Things like diet, exercise, and group support are key to the Loma Linda program.

Inasmuch as LLUMC is both a teaching institution and a medical facility supported by—and a part of—the Seventh-Day Adventist community, it is important to remember the heritage of giving. Research of this quality, delivering a non-invasive therapy to an average of 150 to 160 patients per day costs money. In that context, we the patients of Loma Linda, encourage the reader to research, explore, and help us support research. Please spend some time on this site. Don’t forget to go to our Resource Links page for important links to help you understand why giving is so important.

A research chair in Dr. Slater’s name has been funded to provide further research on proton modalities and protocols. Additional monies are being sought to further the research efforts in proton beam therapy. Breast cancer is an important avenue that is currently being explored. Please consider your donations for this important work and help us add to the James M. Slater Chair for Proton Research. Our goals are far-reaching, but the responses have been most gratifying.