Some patients want to give to the cancer center and to the community but may not have the means to. In this way, it’s kind of like they are giving back, and they did have a part in this.
Samantha Bickerton, AS, RT(T)In a remarkable display of ingenuity and compassion, Dartmouth Cancer Center St. Johnsbury radiation therapists Sasha Morton, BS, RT(T), and Samantha (Sam) Bickerton, AS, RT(T), found a unique and resourceful way to support cancer research and patient care.
A lot of copper
Sam and Sasha’s initiative began with a simple observation: the clinic had accumulated 10 years' worth of discarded copper electron cut-outs used in radiation treatments.
These cut-outs, which look like 1-inch-thick sheets of copper paper with a differently shaped puzzle piece cut out of the middle of each, are essential tools in electron therapy. Unlike the more common photon therapy, electron therapy targets the surface of a patient's skin. It is used for various conditions, including microscopic disease in scars from surgeries like mastectomies, skin cancer, and even benign conditions like Dupuytren's contracture.
The copper cutouts are made individually for each patient and inserted into the head of the linear accelerator machine, which delivers the radiation to that patient. The cutouts work like a stencil to shape the field where the radiation beam will treat the patient's skin while protecting healthy tissue. Each copper cutout can only be used for the one patient it was made for before it’s stored away in a closet.
While a closet full of discarded copper may not be generally inspiring, Sasha happened to be renovating her home. “We had just ripped out old copper piping and replaced it with PVC. We brought the old piping to a recycling center and got a decent amount of money for it.”
She recalls the moment of inspiration shortly after, when "I went into the closet one day at work and thought, This is a lot of copper!"
From renovation to radiation
“My first thought after having gone through my own house renovation was that this copper in the clinic is worth quite a bit. And then I thought, What do we do with it?” Sasha recalls.
With planning for the St. Johnsbury portion of this year’s Prouty fundraiser already on their minds, the solution became clear. “I have been involved with planning The Prouty in St. Johnsbury since it started three years ago,” says Sam. “I think that was just on the forefront of our minds—we have this fundraiser where all the proceeds stay in this community, and we also get a match for it. How great would it be for the patients if we turned in all this copper that’s just sitting in a closet and put the earnings from it back into the cancer center?”
After several consultations and approvals from their own supervisors and cancer center leadership, they had the green light to move forward with their plan. The next step was finding a suitable recycling facility. While researching prices, they discovered Allard's Metal Recycling in Lyndonville, Vermont.
“They offered us the best prices and the owner, Dan, was very nice,” Sasha said. “It also meant a lot to us that the business was local to the area.”
However, the facility's limited hours posed a challenge for two busy radiation therapists with packed days.
The heavy haul
“Part of our challenge was finding time during the day when we weren't treating patients that we both would be able to pack up all the copper and bring it to the center,” Sam says.
Despite the time constraints, they managed to scoot aside the pickleball gear in the back of Sam’s car and haul the copper motherload to Lyndonville.
But first, they wanted to make sure they knew the weight of the copper.
“We used the wheelchair scale!” Sasha laughs. “We stacked the copper cutouts onto a dolly and ran it over the wheelchair scale. Then we subtracted the weight of the dolly from the total to get our copper weight.”
The result? 447 pounds! And their timing couldn’t have been better. With copper values currently higher than normal, Sam and Sasha’s heavy haul of high-quality #1 copper earned them a $1,612 donation. With The Prouty’s dollar-for-dollar match, that meant more than $3,200 will go back into the St. Johnsbury clinic for research and patient support services.
But that wasn’t all. “When we told Dan that this money was for a fundraiser for our cancer center, he paid us for the copper, and then he took $50 out of his own personal money and gave it to us because he knew that it would be $100 for the patients,” Sam said. “And that was honestly probably one of my favorite parts. Our job means a lot to us, and he was able to see the impact we are trying to make and contribute to it.”
Sam and Sasha hope to make this a regular initiative. Although electron therapy is only used for a minority of patients, they have started tracking the number of cut-outs used to estimate future contributions.
“It seems like a waste not to take advantage of the opportunity presented,” Sam says. “Some patients want to give to the cancer center and to the community, but may not have the means to. In this way, it’s kind of like they are giving back, and they did have a part in this.”
This year’s Prouty Community Walk fundraiser in St. Johnsbury will take place on Saturday, May 17, at the St. Johnsbury Academy. Funds raised at the event stay in the community and go directly to support patients and families being cared for at the Dartmouth Cancer Center in St. Johnsbury. To learn more, get involved in the event or donate to it, please visit TheProuty.org.