In the summer of 2025, the Proton & Advanced Radiation Center at Atrium Health Levine Cancer reached an important milestone: more than 50 patients have received proton therapy since the center opened in October 2024.
Proton therapy is one of the most advanced forms of radiation available, designed to target tumors with remarkable precision while sparing surrounding healthy tissue. It is especially valuable for children and adults whose tumors are near vital organs. For patients at Levine Cancer and across the Carolinas, having access to this rare technology close to home has been life changing.
But the milestone isn’t just about numbers. For Robert “Bobby” Adams and Charles “Chuck” Colson, the 49th and 50th patients to complete treatment, it represents something deeper: the beginning of a friendship that has carried them through one of the hardest times in their lives.
A bond begins in the waiting room
At first, their interactions were small. Chuck would be finishing his appointment just as Bobby was walking in for his. Their wives, spending long stretches together in the waiting room, struck up a conversation that quickly turned into daily support. Before long, the men began talking too.
Those early conversations set the stage for something much more meaningful. Chuck had been living with cancer for years. Diagnosed in 2019 with thymic carcinoma — a rare and aggressive cancer of the thymus gland — he has endured an extraordinary range of treatments: multiple surgeries, dozens of rounds of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, and more than 100 radiation sessions.
Chuck remembers how it felt to be newly diagnosed: the fear, the confusion, the uncertainty. When he met Bobby in the waiting room, he recognized those emotions right away.
“I saw this incredible person who was scared,” Chuck recalls. “It made me remember what it felt like to go through treatment for the first time. I offered him hope and told him we can get through this together.”
Facing a new diagnosis
Bobby’s diagnosis was still fresh. After a routine lung scan in February 2025, doctors spotted a suspicious lymph node. A biopsy confirmed stage III non-small-cell lung cancer. The news left him reeling.
“It’s scary stuff,” says Bobby. “You aren’t told you have cancer every day, and it was out of the blue that this happened. I was at a loss.”
In the weeks that followed, Bobby struggled with panic attacks and waves of anxiety.
“I had no one to really talk to or share my feelings with,” he says. “But then Chuck and I talked, and he’s been my inspiration, particularly his good attitude. He’s very brave and he meets everything head-on.”
For Chuck, that reaction felt familiar.
“You join a club you never wanted to sign up for,” he says. “We’re part of an ‘IV fraternity’ now.”
Chuck’s support gave Bobby the courage he needed during his treatments.
“I was the scared little kid in the corner, not knowing what to do,” says Bobby. “Chuck helped me gain some confidence and face what I had to face.”
Encouragement and perspective
As the men compared experiences, Bobby found himself leaning on Chuck’s hard-won wisdom. Chuck often reminded him that resilience isn’t just physical; it’s also mental and spiritual.
“My faith is very strong,” says Chuck. “That’s been the most incredible part of this — and the beautiful people I’ve met throughout my journey.”
Both couples began looking forward to their daily visits.
“Chuck was and is my inspiration,” says Bobby. “He and his wife, Tracy, have been mentors for my wife, Susan, and me. You don’t find people that good, especially when they have their own mountain to climb.”
A milestone to remember
By June 2025, both men had completed their courses of proton therapy. Together, they rang the bell to mark the end of treatment, celebrated by staff and family as the 49th and 50th patients to finish therapy at the new center.
“The folks who administer the treatment are incredible,” says Chuck. “It’s a calling.”
He also sees his own cancer journey in a new light. “I never want to look at cancer as a blessing, but I’m not the same person I was before. I now prioritize quality time left. The miracle is already here. I want to enjoy what I have, more time with my amazing wife, my three beautiful daughters, watch my grandchildren grow and see my son graduate from medical school. Life is good.”
More than medicine
The Proton & Advanced Radiation Center was built to bring advanced cancer care to patients in this region. For Bobby and Chuck, it delivered something they didn’t expect: a friendship that made the journey less frightening and far more hopeful.
“With cancer, the blessing is it gives you time to make sure nothing is left unsaid,” says Chuck. “You can make sure everyone knows you love them.”
For two men who met in passing, that lesson — and the bond they now share — may be the most powerful milestone of all.
Learn more about proton therapy at Levine Cancer.
