Tom Marsilje, an oncology researcher, is living with stage IV colorectal cancer (CRC) and describes his cancer fighting journey through his blog. Having a unique perspective as an oncology drug discovery scientist and patient, Tom use his blog to discuss oncology science to the layperson and describe his patient experience, which are inspirational to cancer survivors and scientists.
Tom was a 2016 national spokesperson for early onset CRC via the national patient advocacy organization, the Colon Club. With advocacy goals in mind, he writes a regular column for the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper focused on stage IV cancer life and issues. He also writes a regular science column for the national CRC patient advocacy organization Fight Colorectal Cancer called “The Currently Incurable Scientist”. It explains the science of experimental therapies in clinical trials for CRC in layperson’s terms – once again with a goal to be a unique bridge between his intertwined worlds of cancer patient-scientist-advocate. He currently represents colorectal cancer on The Cancer Research Institute’s (the world’s oldest & largest immunotherapy advocacy group) patient portal website “The Answer to Cancer” to help spread awareness of immunotherapies, one of his most passionate causes.
Tom is a co-founder and scientific leader of the COLONTOWN CLINIC, which use novel way to transfer CRC clinical trial information to CRC patients and caregivers. The activities have recently been written up by STAT News and MSNBC and featured on NBC Nightly Nightly News with Lester Holt.
For more on Tom’s activities, please visit his blog: https://adventuresinlivingterminallyoptimistic.com
If that’s what happened to me I am not so sure if I will have to continue my life to live but as I reading your article it surely inspires me. God bless you!