Proton International at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is celebrating its 500th patient. The first proton therapy center in Alabama, its first treatment was performed March 11, 2020. 

The 500th patient is 63-year-old Anthony Natale of Pensacola, Florida. He traveled to Birmingham for treatments after being diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma on the lingual tonsil with one lymph node affected.

Anthony Natale, left, says proton therapy is a good form of radiation therapy. (UAB)

“I really had no idea how many patients the UAB Proton Center had treated until I was notified of this accomplishment,” Natale said of the center that is one of 38 in the United States. “I feel very lucky to have been offered treatment at the Proton Center. Being the 500th patient! Wow! Feels great!”

Natale said the UAB team provided a comfortable experience and made it easier for him to persist in the face of difficulty.

“They made me feel loved like no other medical facility I had ever been to,” Natale said.

Through overcoming his disease, Natale wants to advise others who are going through or about to go through a similar medical journey.

“I believe you have been given an opportunity that can be very difficult to come by,” Natale said. “That said, you will still have some difficulties during treatment. Stay focused on a positive outcome and you will be OK.”

“The team at the center are top-notch in their field,” Natale said. “Their interest in the job is to help you become successful in resolving your issue. Listen to your doctor. Trust them. And be a good patient. They truly care about you and want nothing more than your success. That said, you must know that you personally play a huge role in your own success. You must fight what some people say is the hardest thing you ever had to overcome. Know that you can fight through this.”

Natale said UAB patients can be thankful to have access to proton therapy.

“It allows for the patient to suffer less from the side effects of receiving radiation for your disease,” Natale said. “This is unfortunately not always available to people because of many different factors. I feel that I was fortunate enough to have received it. The more I learned about it, the more I felt this way.”

Proton International at UAB is on 20th Street South between Fourth and Fifth avenues. The facility consists of a three-story building that houses clinical exam rooms, offices and the ProBeam therapy system, manufactured by Varian Medical Systems, a longtime partner with UAB in the delivery of radiation therapy. The medical staff, including radiation oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists, radiation therapy technologists and nurses, is exclusively from UAB.

This story originally appeared on the UAB News website.