Northwestern Medicine Proton Center Treats 7,000th Patient

The Northwestern Medicine Proton Center in Warrenville graduated its 7,000th patient on Tuesday, July 9. Northwestern University assistant soccer coach Ronnie Bouemboue was diagnosed with sarcoma in his spine and pelvis.

“Sarcoma is a rare cancer that develops in the bones and soft tissues in the body,” said Stephen Mihalcik, MD, radiation oncologist at the Northwestern Medicine Proton Center and Bouemboue’s physician at the Proton Center. “Ronnie’s tumor was so close to his spine, so traditional radiation could have had a significant impact on the surrounding nerves, so we decided to minimize this with proton therapy.”

Proton therapy is a highly targeted form of radiation treatment that precisely delivers the radiation dose to the tumor. This form of cancer treatment sends less radiation to the healthy tissue and organs surrounding the tumor and reduces the short- and long-term side effects of radiation treatment.

The Northwestern Medicine Proton Center was the first in Illinois to offer this form of cancer treatment. “Graduating our 7,000th patient from treatment is such a positive milestone,” said Chad Donaubauer, director of operations at the center. “Our entire team is dedicated to putting patients first, and we continue to build upon this as we provide access to proton therapy to patients in their fight against cancer.”

Bouemboue grew up playing soccer and was an athlete all his life. For him, injuries and surgeries came with the territory, and he always knew he could get through it with time.

When he started experiencing pain in his lower back in September 2023, he chalked it up to an old injury. When it continued to worsen, he went to his doctor for X-rays, though they showed nothing conclusive.

“During this time, I was transitioning from my coaching job at Northern Illinois University to coaching for Northwestern University,” said Bouemboue. “It was a blessing in disguise, I was able to talk to Northwestern’s athletic trainer about my symptoms, and he was the one who recommended advanced imaging.”

Bouemboue finally went to the emergency room when his pain became unbearable. The pain started in his lower back and radiated down his right leg, and he couldn’t bear it anymore. He was held overnight, during which time he received an MRI. The results led to a diagnosis of sarcoma.
While proton therapy isn’t the end of his cancer journey, Bouemboue says he’s feeling better every day. The nerve pain in his back has decreased, he’s gaining back the weight lost during treatment, and he’s feeling better every day. His doctors say he should be back to regular exercise soon.

Bouemboue is staying positive and is grateful to his doctors and nurses. His fiancé, Morgan, and the entire Northwestern soccer program, including head coach Russell Payne, have supported him through this journey so far. As Morgan says, Bouemboue is a workaholic, and will continue to contribute to the soccer program throughout his treatment.

To learn more about Northwestern Medicine, visit nm.org.