Proton therapy — and a pet cat — help young animal lover through chondrosarcoma treatment

James Chapman is a self-described non-binary artist, animal lover, Pokémon nerd and enthusiast of mycology and biology from Powell River, British Columbia.

By age 24, he had already gone through a lot, struggling greatly with depression and suicidal ideations, until his physicians were able to adjust his medications. That same year, in 2022, he also started experiencing troublesome, worsening double vision.

He went to the optometrist who said his eyes were healthy and his vision 20/20, but suspecting something was wrong within the brain, she sent Chapman for an MRI in early September. The MRI showed a mass located near the optic chiasm and pituitary gland.

Performing surgery for a biopsy alone was deemed too dangerous, so Chapman's physicians decided to remove the mass entirely in December. It was an 8-hour surgery that included disarticulating his jaw and parts of his face and resulted in hearing loss in his left ear. Despite all of that, Chapman recovered extremely well. But it was after the surgery that physicians discovered the mass was a skull-based chondrosarcoma, a slow-growing tumor.

James after surgery — James Chapman recovers from surgery in British Columbia. Photo courtesy of James Chapman

“I was terrified when I heard I had a brain tumor, and I had a good cry,” said Chapman. “I had a journal where I wrote down my thoughts, and doing research and finding info helped me deal with the stress. But the most help was my cat, Mochi. He would curl up around my head when I wasn’t feeling well. He came with me to Seattle, too.”

James cuddles his cat Mochi — James Chapman cuddles with Mochi while showing off his proton therapy graduation coin. Photo courtesy of James Chapman

After the surgery, Chapman’s physicians recommended radiation therapy as a next step to destroy any remaining tumor cells. Because the area of his tumor is sensitive and is involved in many important cognitive functions, his physicians agreed that proton therapy was the only option.

Chondrosarcomas are “hard to kill,” as James puts it, and proton therapy would be able to target the remaining tumor with a higher dose of radiation and minimize radiation to surrounding areas, especially the brainstem and the nerves allowing for vision.

Chapman, Mochi, and his aunt, Debbie, made the trip to Seattle for proton therapy. At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center – Proton Therapy, he met Lia Halasz, MD, who would be his radiation oncologist, and whom he really liked.

“Proton therapy for skull-based tumors such as chondrosarcoma is an important tool in allowing a high dose of radiation to the tumor while keeping the risk of vision loss and new neurological symptoms low enough,” said Halasz. “However, it does take 7 to 9 weeks of daily treatment, which can be hard on patients who have to be away from home for that long.”

“Everyone was so nice and very accepting,” said Chapman. “They put my preferred name above my legal name on my badge and they would check in with me to see how I was doing. It felt like everyone was a big family there and did their best to make me feel at home. They even gave me a birthday card when I turned 25.”

Chapman received protons from four angles each day, and during some angles he would experience a flicker of light in his right eye. He also experienced some other effects while the proton beam was on that sometimes happen to patients who receive radiation to the skull-base and brain. These included a sensation of warm sunlight on his head as well as a smell of chlorine.

Side effects from the treatment included nausea, lack of appetite and constipation, which led to his discovery of a severe and rare laxative allergy. Nausea medication can cause constipation, for which a laxative is frequently prescribed. For Chapman, it resulted in extreme stomach pain. He also found he was dealing with a lot of fatigue but learned that staying hydrated and active really helped.

“My aunt and I would walk every day. I used the Pokémon Go app to help me meet my walking goals as well as serve as a fun distraction,” said Chapman. “We explored downtown, the zoo and aquarium and visited the Ballard Farmers Market. On Tuesdays, we went to the movies, and at the end of my treatment we visited MoPop and the Space Needle. I am a bit scared of heights, but I was able to lay on the glass floor, have fun and take photos.”

James at the Space Needle — James Chapman took a photo of himself at the Space Needle, looking straight down. Photo courtesy of James Chapman

After his treatment, Chapman received another MRI. He likes how the images of the original and the post-treatment MRIs look so different: the first shows a mass in his brain, the latter a big blank space. Chapman will receive further MRIs to see how the outcomes evolve and that will determine if he needs future treatment. His double vision is improving, though he still wears glasses to correct this. He is also going to get a hearing aid for his left ear.

Chapman said the theme of ferns and transformation at the proton therapy facility inspired him, especially as a Tarot reading for the year 2023 revealed cards dealing with transformation and new beginnings. Chapman plans to get a degree in biology so he can work with fungi or plants. He also wants to help others who are struggling with cancer. He wants to fundraise to help other patients as they go through proton therapy treatments, and to bring more video games into the proton therapy facility for the pediatric patients.

“I am happy I am still here,” said Chapman. “I’ve been through so many hard places and I’ve seen so many friends go through hard times. I want them to know they will meet people who care and want them to get better, even if they don’t know it. I want to be a beacon, to let them know that even in their darkest moments there is an ‘other side,’ that I’m still here and it gets better.”