Bob, all our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family......Michael

Thank you all for the uplifting and motivating replies. I cannont express in words how much the above replies mean to me. I can tell you I am taking this for what it is and I will deal with this any way that I have to in order to arrive at a positive outcome. I'm not sure that I've shared my past before however I spent ten years of my life in the USMC as an aviation electronic countermeasures technician (hence my gravitation towards flight simulation :( ). Right now I feel as if those 10 years in the Marine Corps were nothing more than time spent preparing for this very moment.If you have not noticed from some of my posts, I can be and I am a stubborn son of a _itch and I will fight this with any means necessary.Right now though, the best thing for me is talk about my situation. The more I talk the more I'm at ease with it (if you can believe that).My wife, children and I thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. It means the world to us.Regards,Bob

I am so sorry Bob.Hope you recover soon. Good luck.Manny

Don't put simming on hold, Bob. You may have to cut back on the time you spend with it, but keep active if it is something you still enjoy.As a cancer survivor, I can attest that your worst enemy is depression. The human body has great recuperative powers, but it requires the help of a healthy and active mind. Anything you enjoy doing, that requires some mental effort and takes your mind off your troubles is a useful part of your therapy.As for support groups, you have one right here. There are plenty of us who have shared what you are going through and also share your love of flight simming. Keep active in the forum, use the email contacts, and you will find a wealth of support.Best wishes for a complete recovery.John

I can be and I am a stubborn son of a _itch and I will fight this with any means necessary.

Thats the spirit :( And also...

Don't put simming on hold, Bob. You may have to cut back on the time you spend with it, but keep active if it is something you still enjoy.

+1 !!!!!

Hi Bob,I thought I would add a few words of encouragement. I too, 6.5 years ago was diagnosed with throat cancer and went through the procedure of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, with the results being positive. I am now past the five year point and am now free of the dreadful problem, so the best words I have to offer are ride with the treatment leaving it up to the specialists and the cure will come. There may be side effects associated with the tratment but at least life is still there and enjoying it. Those side effects can be dealt with. Keep the chin up and my thoughts and prayers are with you. Best always and tell the family to keep the spirit up.Regards,Richie 1935

Dear Bob,You are not alone in this journey.. Your family, friends and all SIM group are with you... We will pray for you and for your family. Some of us have this experience with our self and some with our loved ones .When you have time join your friends here.Sanal

I had my full body CT scan and passed with flying colors. This means that the cancer has not metastasized and moved elsewhere in my body and at present is localized to my right thigh. What a releif today's results could not have been any better!!I have been scheduled to have surgery this Friday. The surgeon will be removing two complete muscles form my thigh and possibly partially or wholely a third muscle. After that I will have approximately 5 weeks of radiation therapy 5 days a week.I'm still somewhat amazed at the fact that the surgeon at this point thinks I will not require any physical therapy. I don't know about what you think but thats a hell of a lot of meat to be removing from my leg.......oh well he's the doctor.Regards,Bob

Bob - That's fantastic news. Hope the radiation therapy goes well for you. Not much fun from what I've seen, but the end results are well worth losing a lilttle bit of hair. Keep your spirits high. As always, keep on flyin'.Pat

Guys, I have just went through the hardest week of my life and it appears the real journey begins next week. Last week I saw my family doctor because I was experiencing some slight pain in my thigh. By the end of that week I was having surgery to have a portion of a mass removed from my right thigh for a biopsy. I was told after the removal that the mass was definitely some sort of tumor. This Tuesday I was informed that the tumor appeared to be malignant and that the tumor was being sent to the Cleveland Clinic for evaluation. Tuesday evening I informed my wife of the preliminary results which was to say the least, agonizing especially when you add to the equation that I have a son who just turned 9 and a daughter that is getting ready to turn 5. Wednesday I was referred to a surgical oncologist at the University of Toledo Medical College who reviewed the preliminary lab report and told me that I had a 55-60% chance that this tumor was benign and to wait on the final results prior to reaching any conclusions. This was great news for my wife and I as you can imagine. However, today, five minutes after I returned home from work, the general surgeon who removed the part of the tumor for biopsy contacted me and said that the results were back from the Cleveland Clinic ad that the tumor was infact malignant and that the tumor was a soft tissue sarcoma called Malignant Fibrous Hystiocytoma of the Myxoid Subtype.To say the least after this weeks events I am emtionally and physically drained. I will begin treatment sometime next week following a full body CT scan scheduled for Monday. I believe that once the treatment process starts my particpation here at AVSIM as well as my hobby of flight simulation are going to come to an abrupt halt so that I can channel my energy towards beating the hand I have been dealt. I apologize to the members of the board for posting this information in this particular forum but seeing how over the years I have come to find that the majority of members that frequent the FSX Forum are very supportive and helpful to other AVSIM members I could not resist the temptation to share my weeks events and provide myself some well needed therapy in doing so.I have made alot of friends here, and possibly and enemy or two..lol...I hope not and thought it would be good to let them know what was going to be happening in my near future rather than wondering why I have disappeared from participation in the AVSIM forums.Thank you for taking the time to listen, if anyone can recommend any type cancer support group or offer any support in general, I'm all ears.If its permissible, I will try to keep you updated on my progress.Once again thank you for lending me your ears.Regards,Bob

Thank you Bob for sharing and you have my heart felt appreciation for supporting our hobby, but especially as you face this difficult challenge before you. My nephew was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 39, two daughters, 8 and 16, and was told his tumor was inoperable. The tumor pushed on a mainstem bronchus and he was unable to talk without coughing for quite some time. He went thru two full courses of chemo, radiation I believe, and then another round of experimental chemo. A year after diagnosis he was declared essentially in remission. He's an IT guy, and had a strong will to go for it. You have my deepest support Bob. BTW, my nephew's name is Pasha Phares, and his web site is massivebraincase.org. Pasha has been thru alot and he's a very cool guy. I'm sure he'd love to answer any questions or experiences.Noel

Great news Bob! :DMarco

Prayers for you and your family.

I had my full body CT scan and passed with flying colors. This means that the cancer has not metastasized and moved elsewhere in my body and at present is localized to my right thigh. What a releif today's results could not have been any better!!I have been scheduled to have surgery this Friday. The surgeon will be removing two complete muscles form my thigh and possibly partially or wholely a third muscle. After that I will have approximately 5 weeks of radiation therapy 5 days a week.I'm still somewhat amazed at the fact that the surgeon at this point thinks I will not require any physical therapy. I don't know about what you think but thats a hell of a lot of meat to be removing from my leg.......oh well he's the doctor.Regards,Bob

Hi Bob,Great news indeed!Also the fact that your surgeon feels that very little post-op physiotherapy will be required must be a measure of his confidence about the expected outcome. However, I suspect some physio will be needed at least initially to help build up the adjacent unaffected musculature. Muscle mass in the thigh can shrink quite quickly with lack of use. Anyone who has spent a week or two in bed can testify to that.Best regards,Mike :(