[darthclue]

I am hopeful that I live long enough for the next great breakthrough to happen. The treatment that I am on didn't get FDA approval until late 2011 and is actually working to shrink the tumors. Unfortunately, they don't know where mine originated and it has progressed so quickly that they don't give me good odds. I literally went from being fine one day to having cancer the next. There were no external signs and the internal tumors are huge, ranging in size from golf balls to soft balls.

I have hope but I'm also being realistic based on how my treatment has progressed. I have to plan for the reality that I may not have more than 9 months and hope that I'm still here in 15 years. It's a very difficult place to be emotionally.

With regards to MD Anderson, I've heard great things from them, however, I trust my doctors and they work with many of the doctors from MD Anderson. Before they did my gamma knife treatment they actually sent the MRI results over to a neuro-surgeon peer group to ensure that the right actions were being taken. They have taken no chances and are doing the right thing as far as I'm concerned. I continue to do my own research looking for the next best thing and will definitely consider MD Anderson should I find that they have something better available than the treatments I'm on.