When Palmer’s father was diagnosed, there was no clear path forward. The treatment options were both complex and deeply emotional without the possibility of a cure. Bob and his family faced heartbreaking questions like “How long would he live?” and “What are the trade-offs of treatment?” Even though they were working with some of the top cancer centers in the country, these answers weren’t widely available at the time.

Without clear guidance, Bob made a series of treatment decisions that, in hindsight, were not ideal. He endured months of grueling treatments and side effects. Chemotherapy led to blood clots and loss of taste, radiation that left him with scar tissue that forced him to use a catheter to pass urine, he suffered recurrent infections and underwent to manage complications. What followed was a series of hospitalizations and suffering that ultimately ended in his passing within the year, due to complications of treatment.