The truth is that holidays are often stressful and can bring out a range of emotions. It can also be a time for reflection on life, especially in the midst of cancer treatment.
Here are some suggestions from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center social worker, Elizabeth Darlington, MSW, LICSW, on what you can do to sustain yourself through this time, when you may not be able to do what you have done in the past.
Acknowledge your feelings without judgment
Treat yourself with kindness and gentleness, just as you would your friend or loved one. You may experience feelings of sadness, disappointment, loneliness or worry, and it’s OK to express them. Sometimes we feel concerned that expressing these feelings will make a situation worse or it we will bring other people down during this time of joy, but that’s not true.
It may be helpful to preface an interaction with a loved one with “Can I vent for a while?” Ask them not to offer solutions, but just to listen and offer a hug. As the saying goes, “to name it is to tame it,” and recognizing the emotions that we are experiencing is the first step. Breathe, slow down, and try to feel whatever you are feeling – all feelings are OK.
Plan for days you know will be hard
Having a plan for difficult days will help you if you hit a rough patch, emotionally. You won’t have to try to come up with something in the moment, you can simply engage your strategy, such as treating yourself to something fun or participating in a favorite activity.
This self-care helps with flexibility, patience and feeling content. Getting to know what is helpful for you, as an individual, when you are feeling big emotions is key. For some people, reading about another person’s struggles might be comforting. For others, watching a comedy may help be a good distraction. Needs can also change over time.
There are no cookie cutter solutions, but if making cookies is something you enjoy, do it! Some other ideas include eating a favorite treat (in moderation), watching a movie marathon, calling a friend or video chatting with family, taking a walk or a warm bath or listening to music or an audio book. Feeling artistic? Buy a set of watercolor paints and see where that takes you. Sometimes challenging times can also be a time of deep reflection and creativity.
Scaling back during the holidays
If you’re a person who tends to do a lot around the holidays, plan to do less this year, and pick the things that mean the most to you. Check in with yourself and your body. People will understand if you decline an invite. You aren’t letting anyone down, and you are conserving energy and being respectful of your body.
It’s a matter of checks and balances: what you want to do, what brings you joy, and what is reasonable during this challenging time. So, if you love doing a holiday card and sending it to your hundred closest friends, do it, but maybe don’t also plan to bake cookies for those 100 friends. It is also absolutely OK to not do anything at all.
For more help, the National Cancer Institute offers some ways to cope with the holidays, which you can view here.
Treatment planning software update
Fred Hutch and UW Medicine’s Department of Radiation Oncology is also updating its version of Raystation, the software used by physicists and dosimetrists to create individual treatment plans, to better standardize treatment at all locations.
“Raystation 2023B has many enhancements,” said medical dosimetry manager Bao-Ngoc “Thi” Nguyen, CMD. “Two innovative features unique to proton therapy are discrete proton arcs, which have shown potential to reduce the dose to healthy tissue by delivering protons from many different directions, and robust optimization based on linear energy transfer (LET). The latter is the main driver for our upgrade initiative.”
“LET optimization in proton therapy offers the potential to enhance the safety and efficacy of cancer treatments,” said medical physicist Dominic Maes, PhD. “It acts like precision tuning, concentrating the treatment's powerful energy predominantly on the tumor and lessening the risk to surrounding healthy tissues. It enhances treatment effectiveness while at the same time reducing side effects.”
The upgrade will also allow for the use of RayOcular, an improved planning system for ocular melanoma. “RayOcular allows for the contouring of the target on the fundus image, enabling clinicians to delineate the tumors better,” said medical physicist, Jay Saini, PhD.
Photon (standard X-ray) LINAC accelerator
In the long term, plans have been approved to add a photon LINAC accelerator in one of the inclined beam rooms. About the size of a small car, a LINAC uses microwave technology to accelerate electrons, then allows them to collide with a heavy metal target to produce high-energy X-rays.
Some patients – such as head and neck and childhood cancer patients – need a photon boost while in proton treatment – for instance and having the LINAC will allow the patient to receive it at the same place as their proton therapy treatment.
A LINAC can be used with most types of photon therapy, including intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), image guided radiation therapy (IGRT), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radio therapy (SBRT).
Look for even more exciting updates in the near future.
Soriano graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Seattle University and subsequently worked at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) in a clinical lab for blood banking and bone marrow procedures. When SCCA offered an opportunity for employees to shadow other departments, Soriano chose to explore a new career direction. Inspired by his mother, who had gone through treatment for cancer, he chose the radiation oncology field.
In 2021, he went back to school and got associate degree in radiation therapy from Bellevue College. During his studies he had the opportunity to tour the proton therapy facility.
“I liked the positive dynamic between the therapists that I encountered at the proton therapy facility, the way they worked so well together,” Soriano said. “Having been with Fred Hutch for more than six years, I know how well they treat their patients and employees. And having gone through my mother’s cancer treatment, I can better understand what patients and their families are experiencing. I think that helps me to be a better therapist. To me, it was an obvious choice to work here even before I finished school.”
As a radiation therapist, Soriano is charged with executing the treatment plan designed by physicians and dosimetrists. He first arranges patients precisely in the correct position, adjusts the beam as necessary and delivers the radiation. Interacting with patients, often anxious or fearful about both their cancer and the treatment, is also part of the job.
“I’m a very sociable person, so interacting with patients is enjoyable,” he said.
Outside of work, Soriano prefers to spend time with friends and family and to stay active. His favorite past times are going to sporting events, especially Seahawks and Mariners games, and attending music festivals such as techno Thunderdome and Bass Canyon Festival at the Gorge. He loves to travel. His favorite destination of late was to the Philippines, because he got to see family he hadn’t seen in 20 years.
Please welcome Soriano to the proton therapy facility the next time you see him.
