Cancer letter
Hi! My name is Marvin Shoop. I am 43 years old. I’m a successful Senior Executive for the Federal government, a father to two wonderful and amazing children, an avid outdoorsman, a former Marine, a veteran Marine Marathon runner, an adventurer, an explorer, friend to many, and admirer of life itself. And, I am also a cancer survivor.
I don’t look like a brain cancer patient, do I?
I don’t look the least bit sick. Not what you imagine when you think of a cancer survivor, huh? Well, I am. Please read on.
In December, 2007, I was driving home from work when I had a seizure and drove off the road in rural Maryland. Fortunately, I did not hit anyone, but according to those at the scene, I did a lot of damage to my vehicle. I had several seizures on the way to the hospital. When I arrived at Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC), I was unconscious and, when I awoke the following day, the doctors told me I had a brain tumor. Up until that point, I was rather fit. So, imagine my surprise when Dr. Gary Dix, my neurosurgeon, told me that I had what he called an oligodendroglioma and that this thing had been growing in my head – in my left frontal lobe - for probably over 20 years. Three days later, I had a craniotomy to remove the tumor. Due to Dr. Dix and his team’s skills, as well as the location of the tumor, they removed all of it. I was in the hospital for seven days when I was discharged to come home. Then I was told to make an oncology appointment - "Strange," I thought … since I didn’t think I had cancer. But here I was in an oncologist’s office, receiving the news about the long-term prognosis.
My prognosis? Dim. Survival rates for patients with oligodendrogliomas vary wildly, but, on average, oncologists give statistics like 50% of the patients survive five years and less than 30% survive to ten years. Primary brain tumors appear to have a 0% survival rate.
"What’s going to happen, I wonder? Where will this all lead? Why did this happen to me? How long do I have? I suppose, at this point, these are unanswerable questions. I suppose this is all part of acceptance. I worry. People close to me worry. Why? Did I do something to deserve this?” No, I did not. It just happened.
Several months later, I have many of those answers and a new outlook. I am bringing the fight to the cancer. Like my friend, Jennifer McDevitt (http://www.jogginforthenoggin.com/) often says, "This tumor is an unwanted house guest." And I pledge to fight it with all that I am through knowledge, research, the support of family and friends, and through exercise and diet. I pledge to find the cure for this disease for me and for all who suffer from it.
At this point in my life, I realize how blessed I really am. I could have been killed in December, but I wasn’t. I could have died during the surgery, but I didn’t. I could have succumbed to fear and withdrawn from the challenge, but I won’t.
My goal is to build a network of people, from doctors to researchers, from corporations to individuals, from survivors to supporters. And with this network find innovative research into cures, collaborate with fellow glioma patients to find best treatments and best ways of living, raise substantial amounts of money for brain tumor and brain cancer research through the National Brain Tumor Society (www.braintumor.org/home/) (See the best ways to donate below), and to connect doctors, researchers, hospitals, and pharmaceutical corporations into a clinical network. Through this website and numerous other initiatives that you will be seeing, we will create an army— "Shoop's Troops" if you will -- of people who will help us fight and who will help us put a face to brain cancer.
Five hundred thousand people in the U.S. will die of cancer this year and one in every four will be afflicted with this disease. Over 44,000 of them will have primary brain tumors. We need to bring brain cancer to the forefront and find a cure. We need your help. I need your help. We need money for research. It may not save me, but it may save someone you love.
I will fight every minute I have left and I will thank God for each moment that I have on this Earth. But I, and the thousands of people who have primary brain tumors, could really use your help to support this research so that people with brain cancer can survive, can flourish, and can ultimately be cured. Thank you for all your help and for your generous donations!
Marvin Shoop
Brain Cancer Survivor
DONATION SECTION
Go to
http://www.braintumor.org/DonateNow/. When you get to that page, click on the link: "Click here if you wish to make a donation in memory or in honor of someone.
" Make your donation in honor of "Marvin Shoop EE."
Mail your donation to:
National Brain Tumor Foundation
22 Battery Street Suite 612
San Francisco, CA 94111-5520
Below the address is a printable form. When you print the form out, donate in honor of "Marvin Shoop EE," or write a letter with the form mentioning that the donation is for "Marvin Shoop EE."
"Click here for our printable donation form.
(print and mail in with your donation)."
Call the NBTF at 800-934-2873 to make a credit card donation. There is a & 25.00 minimum for donations by phone. Make your donation in honor of "Marvin Shoop EE."
Thank you for donating to the National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS). Your tax deductible donation will be deposited into an account for research into oligodendrogliomas. Over time, this money will be invested into key research areas, such as treatments, cures, tumorogenesis, and other areas of vital importance.
