At 27, Tim was far younger than most patients diagnosed with a highly aggressive type of brain tumor, and youth is one of the few factors offering patients any chance against this deadly disease. Gliomas potentially double in size within a year, and the lifespan of the average patient is only two to five years. But Tim and Lisa, married a year, had planned on having a family and a long life together.

Tim’s neuro-oncologist mapped out an unrelenting plan of attack – radiation therapy and a year and a half of chemotherapy. “When the stakes are very high, sometimes you have to take larger chances for smaller returns in terms of survival and not only quantity of life but also quality of life, explains Nick Avgeropoulos, M.D., adding that strong medicine at Florida Hospital would be combined with the power of faith.

“It really gives you strength, I think, to deal with whatever’s coming because you know that God is ultimately in control, and that, no matter what happens, He does care,” Lisa says.

Today, the tumor is reduced to one-fifth the original size. “The good things that happen to us are gifts from God,” Tim says.