Aileen Roberts, 51, wife of Comcast Corp. chief executive officer Brian L. Roberts, completed her last radiation treatment 11 days ago with a positive prognosis.
But her illness may help save thousands of lives.
It was one of several factors that led her family to donate $15 million to a new $144 million proton therapy center at the University of Pennsylvania.
University officials and Brian, Aileen, and Suzanne and Ralph Roberts, Brian’s mother and father, plan to announce their gift today.
Proton therapy uses a beam of tiny particles to target tumors so precisely that little damage occurs to surrounding tissue.
Center organizers say proton therapy is revolutionizing treatment of tumors close to vital organs. It also is expected to improve treatment of tumors in children, for whom current therapies are often dangerous.
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