It must have been so hard to see your brother suffer, and believe it was preventable. My heart goes out to you.

I know CCCs are the holy grail around here, but I am the wee small voice in the corner saying, "...usually best....not always." I think it's dangerous to assume that CCCs invariably provide better care, and close-minded to conclude that no non-CCC institution can ever be as good as a CCC.

The non-CCC I am using is a large, academic and research institution that treats HNC all day long, has a dedicated HNC team, the same technology as the CCC, and some major talent assigned to my case.

Many, many people don't have the luxury of a CCC due to distance, insurance, logistics, disposition, you name it. Please don't make them feel anxious about their option. Consider that 16 U.S. states do not even have a CCC. In my case, going to the CCC would mean foregoing chemo. Maybe some will think that if that's what a CCC recommends, that's what I should do.

53
T3N2aM0 HPV+
5/26/13 discovered painless superball-sized lymph node in neck
6/26/13 DX SCC R palatine tonsil
7/16/13 TORS tonsillectomy & selective ND, mets to 2 nodes
9/3/13 Cisplatin and rads begin, tolerated 1.5 of 3 planned chemo doses
10/16/13 Treatment ends
Dec 13 Ulcer appears at surgery site
Jan 17 Biopsy -- no cancer!
Feb 17 CT/PET Scan lights up tonsil bed & nasal cavity, docs say probably inflammation, don't panic, rescan when ulcer subsides