Dorothy Rhoads

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April 14th, 2016. My mom (Dorothy Rhoads) went in for a MRI and the MRI showed 2 brain tumors. The MRI showed a 2 inch tumor on her right side of the brain and she had a smaller one on her left side of her brain. The swelling in her brain was so severe it interfered with her daily activities physically and mentally. The next morning we took her to Bismarck to see the neurosurgeon. Surgery scheduled Monday to remove as much as they could of the larger tumor and to diagnose what kind of tumor she has. Monday April 18th, 2016, Surgery date - they removed 98% of the large tumor. It would take a couple of days for the diagnosis. Thursday April 21st we got the news we did not want. The brain tumor was diagnosed as GBM (Gliobastoma Multiforme Grade IV). This type of brain cancer is very aggressive, treatment is radiation and an oral chemotherapy called temolozomide over a 6-week period. Upon completion of radiation, 6-12 cycles of adjuvant temolozomide are given five days in a row every four weeks. Unfortunately, the recurrence rate for GBM is near 100%, with an average time to recurrence of six to seven months. Median Survival rate with GBM is anywhere from 9 months to 3 years. We are going to help her fight this and we are not going to give up!