When Sarah Fisher was just 16, she lost her grandmother to fallopian tube cancer, more commonly classified as ovarian cancer, an event that had a profound effect on her and her career.
“She practically raised me and made a big, positive impact on my life,” Fisher said.
One of those positive impacts was Fisher’s decision to pursue radiation therapy as a career path.
After graduating from Indiana University School of Medicine with a Bachelor of Science in Radiation Therapy in 2019 (she also earned a master's in leadership), she joined Indiana University Health in Carmel, working both photon and Gamma Knife radiation as well as in the neurosurgery department.
She wanted to grow her experience and her career and loved the Pacific Northwest, which she’d visited on vacation. When a job opened up with Fred Hutch’s proton therapy radiation therapy team, she was thrilled to move her family to Seattle.
Fisher was familiar with proton therapy, and it was her goal to work in that area because the cancer can be treated precisely without the potential harm of an exit dose. Fisher’s grandmother had undergone a different type of radiation, along with surgery and chemotherapy, but her cancer had metastasized quickly.
“It was difficult to watch and understand at the time,” she said. “I can only hope to make her proud and inspire others to make a difference where they can.”
One of the things she loves most about the job, Fisher said, is building relationships with her patients.
“We see most of our patients every day for five to seven weeks,” she said. “I love being able to help them and their families not just by treating their cancer, but also emotionally by being there to listen and offer encouragement. I especially love working with our pediatric patients.”
Fisher is also the mother of a three-year-old girl who she said is the “light of her life.” She is also recently engaged and describes herself as a “a big foodie and coffee shop girl.” She said she loves Seattle’s "hikes and walks and big city vibes.”
She and her family hope to visit other West Coast destinations in the near future, such as Oregon, California’s wine country and Alaska.
“I just love the opportunity to explore and adventure in new regions of the United States,” Fisher said.
Please say hi when you see Fisher at the proton therapy facility.
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