Winds of Change

Specialized radiation treatment keeps patient on course

Sixty-one-year-old Brent Loupe was living his normal life when he began experiencing severe headaches due to vision problems that affected almost everything, especially his driving. After a series of tests, he said the “wind was knocked out of his sails” when he was diagnosed with a pituitary gland tumor. Months after his initial surgery to remove the tumor, his doctors found that part of it still remained. Brent’s doctor then recommended Gamma Knife Icon treatment at Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center.

Gamma Knife Icon is the most precise radiosurgery device available to treat brain tumors and other central nervous system disorders. This innovative technology requires no incisions and no long stays in the hospital. Micro-beams of radiation are used with unparalleled accuracy, enabling powerful treatment while limiting the dosage only to the brain tissue in need, keeping the surrounding tissue intact and unaffected, enhancing quality of life.

After meeting with radiation oncologist Dr. Maurice King at the Cancer Center, Brent had three Gamma Knife treatments. During each 30-minute session, he listened to music while practicing deep breathing, a technique that helps patients relax and keep as still as possible to ensure the radiation’s accuracy. With the treatment being noninvasive, Brent was able to return to work just hours after receiving each treatment.

Watch Brent share his powerful story of how Gamma Knife brought the wind back into his sails.

STRAIGHT TO THE POINT

Read more about Brent’s story here and to learn more about Gamma Knife Icon, visit conquerdifferently.org.

  • 61-year-old Brent Loupe needed radiation to treat a pituitary tumor.
  • The Cancer Center is one of only a few facilities in the nation that has the Gamma Knife Icon technology to safely and effectively remove growths near the brain.
  • Brent had the noninvasive radiation therapy with few side effects, even working each day after treatment, and recently received the all-clear.