Proton Man - NAPT

The Intrepid Proton Man was the brain child of Bill Hansen and his close friend Mike Jaszewski. Bill, a long term marketing executive in the proton therapy field and Mike, a well-known graphic designer, wanted to help children receiving proton therapy better understand proton treatments on their level in a fun but effective manner. They thought to themselves what better way to do that than with a comic book! The problem was that neither of them had any experience putting a comic book together. Enter Steve Englehart into the picture. Mike’s girlfriend, Amber, was running a program for Seniors (Senior Center Without Walls) that Steve’s wife Terry created. It just so happens that Steve is a writer for Marvel and DC Comics. Steve has not written just your average comic books, he has written comic books for the who’s who in superhero land including Captain America, the Avengers, Batman, the Hulk, the Justice League, Dr. Strange, and the Guardians of the Galaxy just to name a few. Bill and Mike had always been big fans so you can imagine their excitement when Steve said he would like to help make their idea come to fruition. Through each of their respective talents, the Intrepid Proton Man was created to help children better understand the benefits of their proton therapy treatments.

There was one remaining piece still missing for their dream to come true – support to print and distribute the comic book once it was complete. In steps Bill’s employer, Varian Health Systems, which is one of the leading proton therapy equipment manufacturers in the world. Varian threw their full support behind the project and the only remaining step was the comic book’s unveiling. There couldn’t have been a more appropriate place for this to occur then at NAPT member Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Proton Therapy Center. Bill, Mike, Steve and even Proton Man were all there visiting with children and giving out comic books while Proton Man posed for pictures with dozens of kids and their families. Thanks to Bill’s, Mike’s, Steve’s and Varian’s generosity we’re able to bring Proton Man to children across the country and the world right here on the NAPT website. Our hope is that this comic book will help children better understand their treatment and instill hope during their treatment journey.