Surrounded by markers, paint brushes and tape, Jenny Kerlin sits for hours, decorating custom treatment masks for cancer patients at University of Cincinnati Health Medical Center, where she has worked as a radiation therapist for 14 years.
The specialized masks are made of a plastic, mesh-like material that attaches to radiation tables and is placed over the top of a patient’s head and neck, ensuring that the radiation is directed exactly where needed while protecting healthy tissue.
They can be tight to the skin and require little to no movement to not interfere with the treatment process. The radiation treatment requires patients to lay completely still for long periods, up to five days a week.
“This immobilizes the patient,” Kerlin explained while holding a mask. “So there’s an attachment that we put onto this table and these ends clip into it. It’s very tight-fitting. It’s one of the hardest treatments we do.”
Nan Franks, a patient of Christ Hospital who was diagnosed with cancer in the parotid gland in April of 2024, says she knows the apprehension of the masks all too well after undergoing over 30 radiation treatments with one.
“It’s a weird feeling because like I said, you can’t even move your lips,” Franks said. “It’s very personal and weird and just intimidating.”
The fitting process can be a scary and claustrophobic experience regardless of age, which is why Kerlin says she was inspired to make the masks a bit more special after a pediatric patient struggled to overcome their anxiety before treatment in 2013.
“She (another radiation therapist) mentioned ‘hey, I know somebody that might maybe want to make your mask into something’,” Kerlin said. “They picked an idea and we made it for them and it just put a smile on their face. So we just kind of escalated from there.”
Patients can choose anything of their liking from their favorite sports team, animal, hobby or even food – Kerlin has painted everything in between.
“We have one little kid that was so excited. We asked them, ‘What’s your favorite thing? You got a favorite superhero or something like that?’ ” Kerlin said. “And they said, ‘I like my dad’s biscuits and gravy and I like spaghetti’, so that’s what I put on it and they were just so excited.”
Kerlin’s coworker and fellow radiation therapist Eli Beaven gets a front-row seat to see the hard work that she puts in, along with the patients’ exciting reactions.
“It’s a positive thing, they have this momentum to remember it (treatment) in a positive way,” Beaven said. “This really gives us a way to connect with the patients a lot more.”
In her decade at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Kerlin has crafted over 50 unique masks, putting hours of tedious work into the masks both on and off the clock.
However, she finds that each patient’s reaction is worth every bit of her time.
“There have been some really neat masks that I made that have had really personal things for the patients. It’s just heartwarming,” Kerlin said. “I truly enjoy it so much, I can sit here and do this all day. It doesn’t feel like any extra work to me.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: More than medicine: UC Health radiation therapist customizes treatment masks for patients
Reporting by Hailey Roden, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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