Tom Rushing was diagnosed with a cancer few people survive. It’s now been more than seven years since he was diagnosed.

Tom finished running a marathon and was experiencing gastrointestinal reflux. So he decided to get it checked out. The first office he visited did a stomach scan that showed a mass requiring a biopsy. The biopsy revealed pancreatic cancer. One hospital suggested he have surgery right away.

Tom decided on a second opinion instead. And being a native Houstonian, he made an appointment at MD Anderson. Ultimately he chose MD Anderson because it was based on a team approach where several members collaborated and came to a consensus on how to proceed rather than rely on one person’s judgment. To quote Tom: “If cancer is going to try to kill me, why in the world would I go anywhere but the best place in town to fight it?”

Now part of our Board of Visitors and advancing the mission of MD Anderson, Tom is a strong advocate for what we do and knows the importance of donating to research. “Donating is such a powerful tool in the fight against cancer.”