‘Full circle moment:’ Former UF Health CEO has cancer eliminated by program he helped bring to life

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Thirty treatments later, Russ Armistead is now cancer-free thanks in large part to UF Health’s Proton Therapy Institute.

Armistead himself is a former UF Health CEO and Proton Therapy Institute board member, who helped bring the program that got rid of his cancer to life.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

“I would sometimes be laying on the table, and remember some of the videos that we would see at board meetings about, ‘here’s how this methodology works,’” Armistead said Thursday morning.

“It’s a full circle moment,” Dr. Curtis Bryant, the radiation oncologist who treated Armistead, said.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Armistead and UF Health commemorated the achievement Thursday morning by him ringing a giant chime in the hospital’s lobby, a proud tradition for all proton therapy patients at the hospital.

Proton therapy is a unique type of treatment that uses concentrated beams, which specialize in cancer treatment of the head and neck.

“It does a very good job eliminating the risk for recurrence and also reducing the risk of side effects,” Bryant said.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

“I have not had any side effects,” Armistead said on Thursday. “I’m good to go.”

Now after the ringing of the bell Thursday morning, Armistead said he’s ready to turn the page on a new chapter in life, without forgetting the people and the place that made that new chapter possible.

“Ringing the bell is just a sign that I’ve finished with this treatment. But you know, I still show up around here occasionally, and people smile and make me feel good,” Armistead said with a smile.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.