Do you live in TX?
Glad you were able to get to MDA....and, have your saved!! PTL.
I do not live in TX. I'm about a one-hour plane ride from MDA. Been going there twice a year for eight years.
I was first diagnosed locally by a local onc. My doctor was a smart guy but did not have much experience with my form of cancer (mantle cell lymphoma). I knew if I wanted a better chance of living, I better go to the best I could find. On my own, I went there for a second opinion.
Over the years, I have talked with many patients while I'm there. I quickly learned that my story is very common. Half the people I talk with were either misdiagnosed and/or treated incorrectly locally before they ended up at MDA. The sad part is how many others have the same local experience and do not make the effort to get a second opinion from a top center. It is likely not to end well for them.
Cancer is all they do at MDA. My view is it is like the common cold for them. They have incredible diagnostics and doctors, along with a world-class research department. All of this is under one roof. In fact, one of their researchers recently won a Nobel prize for a new cancer drug.
Most cancer can be treated successfully if caught early and diagnosed and treated correctly. Not all -- but most.