After an unexpected brain cancer diagnosis, Antuanette Parram found a way to keep moving through 42 days of proton therapy, one step at a time.
For Antuanette Parram, movement has always been more than exercise. It is part of how she lives, connects with others and supports the people around her.
A certified group fitness instructor and member of her church’s wellness team, Antuanette has spent years encouraging others to make their health a priority. But after an unexpected cancer diagnosis, she found herself having to take a step back.
She knew treatment would eventually become a significant part of her life, but she wasn’t willing to let it slow her down.
Antuanette didn't know it at the time, but 2026 would become a year of unexpected turns. It began with cervical spine surgery in April, followed by the steady rhythm of follow-up appointments and recovery.
Then, during a visit with her primary care physician, a new concern surfaced. Her white blood cell count was elevated, prompting additional testing and a closer look at what might be happening.
Eventually, those questions led to an answer Antuanette never expected: a meningioma, a tumor in her brain.
The news brought a new set of questions. What did the diagnosis mean? What would treatment look like? And, perhaps most importantly for someone who had always been so active, how would she move forward?
Antuanette knew there was only one way to find out: take the next step.
Antuanette’s journey to proton therapy began with the team at Texas Oncology-McKinney, who guided her through the next steps after her diagnosis. Keeping Antuanette’s age and active lifestyle in mind, they wanted to explore the treatment options available to her and referred her to Texas Center for Proton Therapy in Irving to see if proton therapy might be the right fit.
Soon, Antuanette met Steven Montalvo, M.D., a radiation oncologist at Texas Center for Proton Therapy, who determined that she was an ideal candidate for proton therapy and began discussing what treatment would look like.
For Antuanette, the consultation gave her an opportunity to better understand her options and gain a little more clarity during an uncertain time. Just as reassuring was seeing the communication between Dr. Montalvo and the team at Texas Oncology-McKinney as they considered her diagnosis, her circumstances and the best path forward.
Knowing the teams were working together gave Antuanette reassurance when there were still plenty of unknowns.
She didn't feel like she was navigating the journey on her own.
But understanding her treatment plan and actually preparing to begin treatment were two very different things. The idea of radiation was intimidating, and Antuanette wasn't sure what the experience would be like—or how she would handle it.
“I don't know if I can do this,” she remembers thinking.
She would soon discover that she didn't have to figure it all out at once. She could take it one step—and one treatment—at a time.
As treatment began, the care team became an important part of that process. Antuanette remembers the staff meeting her fears with patience, humor and reassurance, helping her feel more comfortable as she learned what to expect.
Those early interactions helped turn an unfamiliar experience into one she felt ready to face.
After her first treatment, fatigue became her greatest challenge. She remembers feeling so tired after each session that she wanted to fall asleep on the ride home. But as someone whose life had long revolved around fitness and movement, Antuanette decided she would continue being active in whatever way her body allowed.
She set herself a goal: to get out of bed and walk every day throughout her 42 days of treatment.
Some days, she walked farther. Other days, she slowed down and gave herself the rest she needed. She walked through heat and rain, adjusting when necessary but continuing to put one foot in front of the other.
“It was hard, harder some days than others, but I kept at it. By the end of my treatment, I had walked over 182 miles,” Antuanette recalls with a smile.
What began as a personal goal soon became something larger. Friends and acquaintances began joining her walking challenge, both beside her and from a distance. The miles became an opportunity to connect with others, each person cheering her towards the finish line.
And the support didn't stop with the walks.
Throughout treatment, friends, family members and people from different chapters of Antuanette’s life stepped forward. Some offered their time. Others reached out simply to remind her they were there and keeping her in their prayers.
“My village kicked in,” Antuanette says.
After years of being the person others could rely on, she found herself receiving that same care in return.
“You've done so much for us, and you didn't know it,” she recalls people telling her. “Now this is our turn to pour into you.”
For Antuanette, that support became one of the most meaningful parts of her journey.
Antuanette knows cancer treatment can bring difficult days. There were moments when she was afraid, moments when she questioned whether she could handle what was ahead and days when her body simply needed her to slow down and rest.
But she also learned that those moments did not have to define her experience.
For anyone facing a cancer diagnosis, Antuanette encourages them to focus on what they can control while giving themselves permission to accept what they cannot.
“It’s something that happened that you didn’t have control over,” she says. “So just try to find the positive in it.”
For Antuanette, finding the positive wasn't about pretending the difficult moments weren't there. It was about continuing to find reasons to move forward.
Today, she is already looking ahead to what comes next.
Antuanette plans to pursue her Pilates certification, building on her fitness background and her desire to help others stay active. She hopes to eventually use what she learns to help older adults find ways to keep moving as their bodies change. She especially hopes to share that next chapter with her mother.
“I remember a time when my mother was always moving and dancing, but as she ages, it’s getting harder for her to do so. I wanted to find something that could help her continue dancing so we could keep moving together,” Antuanette says.
It feels like a natural next step for someone whose life has always been shaped by movement and encouragement.
For Antuanette, her journey became more than a story about treatment. It became a story of discovering her own strength—and the strength of the village walking beside her.
The information included in this testimonial is based on one patient’s unique experience and is not intended to represent all patient outcomes or expectations.
