| When Tim started feeling weak and full, even though he hadn't eaten, he first thought he had an ulcer. Unfortunately, tests revealed a large tumor in his colon. Tim had it removed at a nearby hospital, but he opted to come to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center for additional treatment. |
| At MD Anderson, Tim began chemotherapy but the tumor didn't respond. A CT scan showed the cancer had grown back. Additional tests revealed that Tim had a BRAF gene mutation, which kept the chemo from working. |
| Then Dr. David Hong, associate professor of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, told Tim and his wife, Janie, about a Phase I clinical trial to test a drug originally used to treat melanoma. |
| "We were told there was really nothing else they could do, unless Tim wanted to consider this Phase I clinical trial," Janie says. "The trial was just beginning, but it was our only hope." |
| Tim has been on this trial for about two and a half years now, and all signs of the disease have disappeared. |
| "Dr. Hong said if I hadn’t taken the pills I might not have been here in four months," Tim says. "I don't think I could have found this clinical trial anywhere else." |
| Colorectal cancers are the third most common type of cancer in the U.S. — a statistic most people don't know. |
| To honor the more than 100,000 people in the U.S. who, like Tim, are fighting this disease, please help spread the word now about the toll colorectal cancer takes. |
| Promote awareness by sharing information on colorectal cancer and screening methods with your friends and loved ones on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, using #endcancer. |
| Thank you for joining us and showing the world that you are committed to MD Anderson's mission to end cancer. |
