PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — This holiday season, County residents will once again have the opportunity to support cancer care locally while celebrating, honoring or remembering those they love.
This marks the ninth year The Aroostook Medical Center is spearheading the Lights of Life event to raise awareness and support for cancer care in Aroostook County, ultimately benefiting friends, neighbors and loved ones who are battling the disease. The hope is to raise at least $10,000.
For this year’s Lights of Life tree, TAMC is partnering with Machias Savings Bank in Presque Isle. Paul Cyr recently donated a live tree that was planted on the bank’s property with the intention of it being a community tree. The tree lighting will be held on Friday, Dec. 2, at 5:30 p.m. at the bank, located at 9 Dyer Street.
In addition to partnering with Machias Savings Bank on the tree lighting, TAMC renewed partnerships with Clukey’s Auto Sales and McGillan, Inc. Both Tom Clukey and Fred “JR” McGillan, Jr. were celebrated with the Lights of Life star in previous years.
Through Lights of Life, individuals can purchase lights to remember those who have lost their lives to cancer, or to honor survivors, family and friends of survivors, caregivers and others. The lights will adorn a community Lights of Life tree, this year located on Dyer Street.
“The support of community members through the Lights of Life project has made a real difference,” said Brenda Baker, manager of Aroostook Cancer Care. “Past projects have helped to fund a new linear accelerator for radiation therapy and to provide dollars to our patient support fund to help them with costs associated with their fight against cancer. We are pleased to say that this year’s efforts will support bringing stereotactic body radiotherapy to The County.”
Individuals may purchase lights now through Dec. 31 in person at a Clukey’s Auto Supply location in Presque Isle, Caribou or Houlton; at McGillan, Inc., in Fort Fairfield; or on-line at www.tamc.org.
White lights are $10; red, $25; green, $50; blue, $100; yellow $150; orange, $250; and purple, $500. For lights purchased at Clukey’s, colored paper bulbs will be displayed in their store window. For those purchased online, through the mail or at McGillan, Inc., the paper bulbs will be displayed in the hallway across from Aroostook Cancer Care at TAMC. A list of all honorees will also be posted at www.tamc.org at the end of the event and displayed through January.
The Star, $1000, is also available this year, and only one star will be sold. The purchaser will receive special recognition at the Lights of Life tree lighting event.
Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is a form of radiation therapy in which a high dose of radiation is delivered to a highly focused area, said Baker. With conventional radiation therapy, radiation is delivered in relatively small doses in daily treatments over the course of several weeks. With SBRT, radiation oncologists are able to deliver a higher dose of radiation over the course of far fewer treatments, typically one to five, over one to two weeks.
Candidates for SBRT are patients with early stage lung cancer with tumors typically less than or equal to 5 cm (2 inches) who are not good candidates for surgery, she continued. Patients with lung and liver metastases from other primary cancers, such as colon or breast cancer, are also potential candidates for SBRT, as are patients with spinal bone metastases from radio-resistant cancers such as kidney cancer and melanoma.
The new linear accelerator, which has been in operation at TAMC for the past year, can perform SBRT; however, needs additional equipment.
“For our patients, this will mean they would no longer have to travel to Bangor to receive this therapy. We currently have a couple of dozen of folks travel down each year,” explained Baker. “Getting treatments closer to home and the support system of family and friends makes a difference both physically and psychologically with patients and can truly make a difference in outcomes.”
For more details on the Lights of Life or to purchase a light, visit www.tamc.org or contact the TAMC Foundation office at (207) 768-4250.
