Shoreline breast cancer patient triumphs with proton therapy

Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation that allows doctors to focus directly on the tumor, reducing the potential for side effects.

SCCA Proton Therapy is located on UW Medicine's Northwest Hospital and Medical Center campus in North Seattle and is the only proton therapy center in a seven-state region. The center recently celebrated its third anniversary, and is nearing its 1000th patient mark.

A native of Shoreline, Aimée Huff lives only six short blocks away from the house she grew up in. She has two sons, ages 8 and 12, with her husband, Tom. By day she works as a financial advisor for an independent firm, where she manages financial solutions and plans for clients.

But last spring, just shy of her 40th birthday, something happened not according to plan. Aimée found a lump in her breast. Days later she sat in an exam room and listened to her radiologist utter the words “I will be surprised if this is not cancer.” The day was May 18, 2015.

Aimée was diagnosed with Stage 2B/3A Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer. She was selected as a pro-bono candidate for proton therapy and had a very successful run with it, totaling six weeks. She recently graduated on April 13, and received her medal of honor in the form of a “challenge coin” engraved with her patient number, 891. The coin signifies her fight against cancer, so she can put this chapter of her life behind her.