I've been told that surgery could involve removal of a third of my tongue, and I should be prepared to need speech therapy among other possible repercussions that, frankly, are worse options than radiation/chemo.

I really don't wish to go into all my personal medical history that would preclude surgery, but suffice it to say that I already have a heart condition and even the minor surgery to put a PEG in is going to be avoided if possible.

I realize this is a tight group of people who are like-minded, but I will proceed as I see fit, in coordination with my own team of doctors, whom I believe are all well-schooled and with the proper medical options and protocols designed for my particular situation.

As you all (and my docs) continue to tell me, "everyone is different," and this is most certainly true in my situation. I don't have the means to travel great distances for treatment, such as Baltimore or NYC, although had Dartmouth offered the same treatment I will be receiving in Vermont, I would have considered daily commute over to New Hampshire. But Dartmouth confirmed that the oncologists in Rutland who are treating me as as good as their own teams, and that's enough for me.