The Northwestern Medicine Proton Center in Warrenville celebrated the graduation of its 7,000th patient on Tuesday, July 9. The milestone patient was Ronnie Bouemboue, an assistant soccer coach at Northwestern University, who was diagnosed with sarcoma in his spine and pelvis.
“Sarcoma is a rare cancer that develops in the bones and soft tissues in the body,” said Dr. Stephen Mihalcik, radiation oncologist at the Northwestern Medicine Proton Center and Bouemboue’s physician. “Ronnie’s tumor was so close to his spine, so traditional radiation could have had a significant impact on the surrounding nerves. We decided to minimize this with proton therapy.”
Proton therapy is a highly targeted form of radiation treatment that precisely delivers the radiation dose to the tumor. This method sends less radiation to healthy tissue and organs surrounding the tumor, reducing short- and long-term side effects.
The Northwestern Medicine Proton Center was the first facility in Illinois to offer proton therapy. “Graduating our 7,000th patient from treatment is such a positive milestone,” said Chad Donaubauer, director of operations at the center. “Our entire team is dedicated to putting patients first, and we continue to build upon this as we provide access to proton therapy for patients in their fight against cancer.”
Bouemboue has been an athlete all his life. When he started experiencing pain in his lower back in September 2023, he initially attributed it to an old injury. However, as the pain worsened, he sought medical advice.
“During this time, I was transitioning from my coaching job at Northern Illinois University to coaching for Northwestern University,” said Bouemboue. “It was a blessing in disguise; I was able to talk to Northwestern’s athletic trainer about my symptoms, and he recommended advanced imaging.”
After visiting the emergency room due to unbearable pain radiating down his right leg, Bouemboue received an MRI which led to his diagnosis of sarcoma.
While proton therapy isn’t the end of his cancer journey, Bouemboue reports feeling better each day. The nerve pain has decreased, he is regaining weight lost during treatment, and doctors expect him to return to regular exercise soon.
Bouemboue remains positive and grateful for the support from his doctors and nurses as well as from his fiancé Morgan and head coach Russell Payne along with the entire Northwestern soccer program.
To learn more about Northwestern Medicine, visit nm.org.
