By Barbara Pierce
Twenty-seven-year-old Samuel Rivers of New York Mills is a radiation therapist for Mohawk Valley Health System. He is employed by the MVHS Cancer Center at the outpatient Faxton Campus in Utica.
The MVHS Cancer Center offers care and treatment for patients who have been diagnosed with a variety of cancers. Their personalized approach to care is based on the belief that every patient and their needs are unique. From treatment options to symptom management, the care that is provided is individually tailored to each patient.
Treatment of cancer may involve many different types of treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or hormone therapy. The type of treatment recommended depends on the type and stage of the cancer, the overall health of the patient and their personal preferences. Patients may receive a combination of treatments or may only need one.
Hearing a diagnosis of cancer can be overwhelming. And the treatment can be a very difficult time to go through. Every member of the cancer care team must be sensitive to what patients are dealing with.
I spoke with Samuel Rivers about his decision to pursue this specialty.
Q: How did you become interested in a career as a radiation therapist?
A: I was in and out of the hospital as a child. This gave me the experience of what health care is really like. I wanted to give back to the community that cared for me. Also, in 2016, a close friend died of cancer and that sparked my interest in cancer. I began as a volunteer for an ambulance company, then I worked at a dialysis clinic as a patient technician. At that job, I stumbled into X-ray, found that it appealed to me and went to school to get a degree in radiology. I settled into radiation therapy because I wanted to see patients, to be involved with people. I’ve been employed at the outpatient Faxton campus for the past two and a half years. This is my first job in radiation therapy.
Q: What training did it take for you to begin work as a radiation therapist?
A: I received a bachelor’s degree in professional studies at SUNY Upstate Medical University, with a focus on radiation therapy. Also, I have an AA degree as a radiation technician from Mohawk Valley Community College.
Q: What is your job like on a day-to-day basis? Can you describe the technical side of radiation therapy? We understand it’s one of the most common treatments for cancer, using special equipment to aim high doses of radiation at cancer cells that damages the cancer cells and causes them to die. Radiation therapy may be used alone, or in combination with other treatments such as surgery or chemotherapy.
A: On the technical side, the treatment depends on the type of cancer. Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to shrink tumors by killing the cancer cells. I get people lined up, set them up for their treatment from the machines. The treatments last from 15 to 20 minutes. Patients come in once a day. Some come in just one time; some come for up to 30 days. I work with the doctors and a great team of people.
Q: How effective is radiation therapy in killing cancer cells?
A: How many people survive cancer depends on where the tumor is and how much it’s progressed. Everybody is different. I don’t see a lot of people coming back for more radiation treatments and that’s a good sign that the treatment has worked.
Q: Isn’t it difficult to help people through this terrible time in their life?
A: I find it very rewarding. I get to help people in their time of need, I provide comfort. People are going through the most difficult time in their life. And it’s very rewarding to help them through this time in their life.
Q: How do you do this? How to you deal with people whose world has been turned upside down in every way?
A: I always try to come to them with a smile; I leave my personal problems as the door so I can be there for the patient.
Yes, it’s challenging. It does take an emotional toll on you when you’re dealing with patients at the worst time of their life. I often have serious conversations with them about what they’re going through. And these conversations are emotionally stressful. But I’m glad I can be there for people and do this.
It’s certainly not a job for everybody. But if you really want to make a difference, you can.