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The little boy stretched out as the plastic mask was carefully moulded to the shape of his face and chest before being fixed to the bed. His heart began to pound and his eyes widened with fear as he was enveloped in the maw of the metal machine.
It’s a heartbreaking scene and it’s one that confronted radiotherapist Janica Smit (27) every day as she treated young cancer patients. The thermoplastic mesh mask keeps patients immobilised while radiation targets areas in the head or neck where tumours are located.
The process is scary enough for adults – but when you’re a little kid it’s positively terrifying.
