Dear Amy M.
First of all let me say how sorry I am to see that you have to face such issues at your young age. My heart goes out to you. I am a new member (mother-in-law of 33 year old non smoker Laura.) I can relate to your empathy for statistics. I studied biology and love statistics and yet I have to agree with Cathy G... Statistics don't always relate to your life. If cancers have a 97% cure rate and you are in the 3% then statistics matter not. I lived in a pediatric oncology ward and knew those 3%. Yet my son had a 2 % rate for two year survival. He was among the first few kids to live 8 years (recovered 33 years and going great!!) So although statistics are basically designed to give you assurance, I don't think they are as reliable as we all would like them to be as everyone is different. Laura will go for a second opinion after her surgery Tuesday. Remember you don't know what they will recommend until you go and you don't have to do what they say. It just never hurts to be armed with as many facts as possible. Laura will probably stay with her Doctors as she trusts them, but it would be nice to have the same recommended protocol from some other trusted authority also. What ever you do, I think this site is a veritable wealth of information and support and my sincere hopes and good thoughts go with you!!
Kathy
