Ric P.

Head and Neck Cancer, 7-year survivor

Seven years ago, Ric Paulson began having difficulty breathing through his nose, and then he started having troublesome nosebleeds. He was in the prime of life, balancing two jobs, extensive community activities, public speaking, an active social life, and a passion for travel and photography, which he shared with his wife Lynn.

One Sunday Ric’s nosebleed was so severe that he went to a local ER and was advised to see an Ear, Nose, & Throat doctor, who recommended surgery for the removal of a mass.

Ric: “Ten days later, the doctor’s secretary called and asked me to come in with my wife. I was kind of preparing myself for the worst but still hoping for the best. Well, the doctor looked me right in the eye, bluntly said, ‘You have cancer’ and started going on and on about major surgery, giving lots of gory details, using lots of medical terms. I don’t really think I heard anything else anyway after he said ‘cancer.’ I just kind of floated away.”

“They referred me to a specialist who talked about doing a huge surgery that involved a lot of risk and a long recovery. Even though he was compassionate and approachable, it felt like a nightmare that kept getting worse. I thought to myself, ‘I don’t think so.’ It was just too much to process."

Ric and his wife, Lynn, asked about other treatment options, including proton beam radiation, a new treatment they had heard about through her family. The surgeon referred them to Dr. James McIntyre in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center.

Ric: “We were in his office within three hours, and right from the start he gave us hope, support, and encouragement. He has been our guide throughout this whole incredible cancer journey. He is a complete physician in that he was a healer, adviser, and friend.”

“Still, after he described the side effects of the proton beam treatments, I felt scared, so I said to him, ‘What if I do nothing?’ Dr. McIntyre leaned forward and looked at me and said, ‘Ric, you can’t do nothing. You’ve got to do something.’ He told me to weigh my options and get back to him the next day.”

“That night, I reflected on my earlier conversation with Dr. McIntyre and thought, ‘This guy is awesome. He’s laid it all out for me. He didn’t promise me the world, but he wasn’t all doom and gloom either.’ It was a tough decision because we wanted to go for a cure, but we didn’t want to commit to something that would mean a decreased quality of life. It came down to my gut feeling, and that night I decided to go for the proton beam.”

“After three weeks of intense preparation, I began proton therapy. For five and a half weeks, I had daily proton beam therapy at the Francis H. Burr Proton Therapy Center on the hospital campus. It’s the first hospital-based facility of its kind and is one of only three in the country.”

In the fourth week of treatment, Ric began to experience side effects. At first he got really tired. Then he developed a severe burn in a sharp stripe down the middle of his face.

Ric: “The pain was excruciating. They gave me painkillers, but there was only so much they could do.”

What kept him going through this difficult time? He had a super support system beginning with his wife, Lynn. He also had the support of a volunteer from the Cancer Center’s Network for Patients and Families and from his Proton Beam “family.”

Ric: “The nurses and techs were fantastic. We had lots of hugs and tears, and I really bonded with them. I could tell they felt bad when my face hurt so much. Sometimes when I was in the waiting room, one of the techs would come out and start joking with me. It made me feel like a real person.”

A month after he finished treatment, Ric went for a follow-up appointment. Dr. McIntyre entered the room with a big smile and gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up — the scans showed no evidence of cancer!

After nearly a year of working to get his health and confidence back, Ric began volunteering in the Cancer Resource Room, talking to people about his experiences, and providing support to patients and families. His assistance in managing the large supply of literature was so significant that it has led to a part-time position with the hospital. What advice would he give to others?

Ric: “Enjoy each day and be good to yourself. Don’t wait 20 years to take that vacation. Do the things you’ve always wanted to do. And now, I really enjoy the little things like watching the children on the subway or seeing the grass blowing in the wind on a beautiful day.”