...it's stephen from http://astrocytomaoptions.com! How fun is that! He came for a visit. There are so many things that I'm grateful for that I would never have experienced without this brain tumor diagnosis - like wonderful new friends.
Spending time with Stephen was a blast. We're different, but have such similar views on many, many things - most things in fact. We laugh, and talk about the research, and scheme, and theorize on off-label drugs. We talk about life; we talk about everything. It's exciting, and hopeful, and it feels right to be taking matters into our own hands. I am incredibly grateful to be living in this new advancing era of brain tumor science. I'm just a bird riding the wave, but to be near the ship leading the research, to be near the captains, and the explorers of the field, is such a treat, and a joy, and gift.
We have a disadvantage, usually, in brain cancer because the blood-brain barrier prevents chemotherapies, and other drugs, from infiltrating tumor cells. Also, we are such a minute group compared to the majority of other cancers, which gives us far less funding and research. However, perhaps those disadvantages could become advantageous. Perhaps the degree of difficulty could be intriguing to doctors and scientists and philanthropists and curious people alike. Perhaps the lack of funding could cause an underdog mentality, where people want to help us. It could be that because we're such a small group, that maybe we could be easier to study, to track our cases, our pathologies, our success stories. Whatever it is, I feel hope. I feel like big things are coming with the premier of Surviving Terminal Cancer (http://www.survivingterminalcancer.com). We are on the cusp of change, and I for one am very excited to be on this side of history.
