The tumor was benign, but it was so dense that it took surgeons 16 hours to remove part of it, and Redman’s recovery lasted months. A year later, surgeons removed the rest of the tumor.
“The tumor was on my C1 and C2 vertebrae, on the border between spine and brain,” said Redman. “Then, five years later, they found another tiny tumor outside the surgical area. This time it was cancerous, but they treated it successfully with Gamma Knife [stereotactic radiosurgery]."
"Then there was another one. And another one. It’s been a roller coaster.”
Unlike conventional radiation, Gamma Knife delivers a highly focused, concentrated dose of radiation to a very precise area using 192 tiny beams and can be a good option for tumor locations such as Redman’s.
Redman has had multiple recurrences over the years, always outside the latest previously treated area. He’s had several rounds of Gamma Knife radiation, and another surgery in 2020 for a tumor that developed at the base of his skull. This was followed by conventional radiation delivered over time in fractions, as is typical with radiation treatment.
In 2022, Redman’s daughter decided to attend college on the West Coast, and he and his husband, Randy, decided to relocate “just for something different.” Six months after moving to Seattle, Redman’s cancer reappeared. Shortly afterward, it spread to the spine in five different locations. Redman received care at Fred Hutch Cancer Center and tried oral chemotherapy, but when that didn’t produce sufficient results, his Fred Hutch radiation oncologist and central nervous system expert, Lia Halasz, MD, recommended proton therapy.
“The ability of proton therapy to stop in the body where we want it to without an exit dose allows us to treat larger areas of the body, with tolerable side effects,” explained Halasz.
This time, Redman’s care team radiated the entire lining of the spinal cord with protons to treat the known tumors and to preempt future tumors. With proton therapy, they were able to avoid radiation to the spinal cord itself, meaning less nausea, weight loss and low blood counts. All of the treated tumors shrank or disappeared, with no subsequent recurrence in the treatment area to date.
“I tolerated protons much better than conventional radiation,” said Redman. “It’s a little intimidating at first because of the big machine. They put a tiny tattoo on my chest for proper targeting, and that minor pain was the worst of it. It’s really incredible that they strap you down, you lie still for a few minutes a day, you don’t feel anything, but they are killing the cancer!”
During proton therapy, Redman developed fatigue over time, but he still went to the gym. Now he’s feeling good and doing everything he did before. In fact, he just finished building a beautiful mid-century modern chair for his patio.
He is also back to traveling, something he couldn’t do during treatment.
Redman and his husband traveled to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics and got to see some events, including weightlifting. They also visited their son in Luxembourg. This past Christmas, the family got together for a visit at their house in New York. They hope to do more hiking and exploring in the Pacific Northwest this coming year.
“The recovery was much easier than surgery, which was awful. With protons, I had no nerve damage and did not require hours of physical therapy,” said Redman. “And Dr. Halasz is great. She is so compassionate and explained everything very well.”
His advice for other patients?
“Take it one day at a time,” said Redman. “You change your mindset when you have cancer to living in the here and now. You have to live like it’s going to be okay.”
