SANFORD — For senior radiation therapist Amy Kane, helping patients is more than a job — it’s a personal passion.

“My interest in radiation therapy started when I was a junior in high school,” said Kane. “A very close friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer, and I would often go with this person to chemotherapy and radiation treatments.”

Amy had a chance to see first-hand what happens during radiation treatment, and the role that radiation therapists play in helping patients through treatment and the healing process.

“I thought the technology and the science behind it was amazing, and the caregivers that were delivering the treatments were very outgoing and friendly,” she said. “Their expertise and knowledge was wonderful, and they were so happy to share that with not only the patient but with friends and family.”

It was the perfect combination for Amy: the chance to use her love for science and technology to help people.

That early inspiration led Amy to Southern Maine Technical College, Thomas Jefferson University, and Bloomsburg University, then on to a career in radiation therapy that included work at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital in Connecticut, and as director of Cancer Services at the Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center.

She returned to Maine in 2015 as senior radiation therapist for the Cancer Care Center of York County.

Kane was drawn to the fact that the center offers state-of-the-art technology like SRS and SBRT in a home-like environment.

“I’ve always gravitated towards cancer centers that are a little bit more community based and smaller scale, but centers that are also able to offer the latest in technology,” she said. “When I first drove up to the center here … I saw this beautiful building. And when I came inside and met the staff and saw the environment was so warm and comforting … it made me feel right at home.”

And it’s that feeling of being right at home that Kane seeks to bring to her patients. Radiation therapists work directly with cancer patients on a daily basis, usually for four to eight weeks.

“We’re here throughout the entire course of treatment, from the planning phase, through the treatment phase, and we see them in follow up as well,” said Kane. “It’s nice to have your patient come back and look for you when they have their follow up appointment and give you a big hug, and say thank you for all the hard work that you’ve done.”

Today’s patients are more educated, and have access to more cancer treatment options, than ever before. The Care Team at CCCYC focuses on providing as much information as their patients need to learn about radiation therapy and make an informed decision about whether it’s the best course of treatment for them.

Once the decision’s been made to pursue radiation treatment, Kane said, they coordinate with the patient’s other doctors to fit the treatment into their schedule and lifestyle. “We want the whole process to be as seamless, and the least disruption in their normal daily lives as possible, so we work around other physicians’ schedules … (We) to try to schedule patients at appropriate times during the day, if they’re working or if they happen to have children, to make it easier on them.”

In a career spanning 23 years, Kane said her job at the center is her favorite. The patients and their caregivers and families are her inspiration, and the time she spends with them is the highlight of her day.

“They’re usually very upbeat and positive,” she said “We get to see them on an everyday basis … so you get to know them and know their families, and share stories, and they really become lifelong friends.”

Kane wouldn’t have it any other way. “I just love my job here,” she said. “It’s home. It’s definitely home.”