Thanks for the cute compliment, Colleen. USA English has kind of replaced my Flemish Mother tongue as my first language during the last 5 years in my new “nest” in the Valley of the Sun. Due to extensive traveling the North America’s, English-speaking bill-paying corporate life job, and a second life as an international ceramic teacher and writer. I even dream and curse in Shakespeare’s language. My initial diagnosis started when a little metal screw ended up on my tongue during a dental procedure, and went down. The doctor was worried it had gone down the wrong pipe, and ordered X-ray to examine. That’s when some suspicious nodules were discovered, leading to other exams and biopsy. Thanks for your interesting link to the Mayo program. I am in a very similar cardio-oncology program, supported by an efficient, wonderful, and supportive multidisciplinary team. I am so happy not to have ended up in the old-style “linear system” where appointments with individual Doctors can be many weeks apart, reports take 10 days or more, and these Doctors usually do not have the same kind of direct contact. Partly because of finances, one of my close friends had to go down that path, and did not survive her 6th month. Recently a famous Oncologist voiced the unbelievable statistics that the average time in between Diagnose and Treatment of Lung Cancer would be 5 months. Not so for Mayo and other high-end Cancer hospitals where same average is counted in weeks. Hallucinating and so unworthy of the rich world we live in, where top-notch, affordable and universal healthcare should be the standard. The exact details of my surgery planning are yet still uncertain. Depending on evaluation 3 weeks after my 3rd chemo, cardiology results, and any possible complications or counter-indications that might still show up., out of the blue. But surgery should start with robotics. Exploratory first, removal of whatever can be resolved, switching to cutting if necessary, whether old-style open chest or not….Will only know how invasive it was after waking up in the recovery room. However, I do have absolute and total confidence in my surgeon and his crew. For any cancer patient, I think the feeling to be in the “best hands possible ” is so very important and crucial. And yes, despite all the fear, anguish, anxiety, tears and uncertainty, I feel so very happy and grateful to be able to say so. Hence, I’m taking this moment to look forward now, and smile. My thoughts go to all those who are fighting the same battle as I am.