Duke and the region would benefit from a Proton Beam Radiation Center

Colton Goodman of China Grove, North Carolina, was just 3 years old when he was referred to Duke after an MRI showed a growth behind his right eye. At Duke, he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a life-threatening muscle tissue cancer that is most often seen in children.

With the tumor’s location behind Colton's eye, surgery was not an option. Instead, his doctor, Lars Wagner, MD, recommended chemotherapy and a targeted radiation therapy called proton beam radiation.

The only catch was that proton therapy was not available at Duke, nor was it available anywhere in North Carolina. Colton and his mom Britnay were forced to pack up and live in Philadelphia for 8 weeks to receive care.

But thanks to a $50 million gift from an anonymous donor, children like Colton will soon be able to get proton therapy at Duke.

The gift is the largest philanthropic gift ever received by Duke University Health System.

Read more about Colton and proton therapy here: