Virginia Stark-Vance, MD, Dr. Stark-Vance is a medical oncologist in solo practice in Dallas and Fort Worth. Dr. Stark-Vance received her training in medical oncology at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. Following her fellowship, she served as a clinical investigator at the Cancer Treatment Evaluation Program of NCI and as protocol chairman for clinical trials for primary central nervous system lymphoma and ocular lymphoma. Since her return to her home state of Texas in 1996, she has continued to develop clinical trials for malignant glioma as well as lecture widely on treatment options for primary and metastatic brain tumors. Her work has been published in Journal of Clinical Oncology and Neuro-Oncology, and she is the editor of an web site for brain tumor patients in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, www.dfw-neuronetwork.com. Mary Louise (ML) Dubay graduated with honors from the University of Tennessee in 1987 and lives in Plano, Texas, with her husband Duane and their dog Smokey. ML was diagnosed with an anaplastic oligodendroglioma in July of 2000. After successful surgery to remove the tumor, she underwent seven weeks of radiation therapy, and after responding favorably to two years of chemotherapy she has been able to discontinue most treatments. To this date, she remains cancer free. With the support of her co-author and medical team, ML was able to return to her career in January 2001 as Vice President of Marketing for Nortel Networks in Richardson, TX. She is a vocal advocate of brain tumor survivor support organizations and is a founding member of the survivorship program at the Baylor Richardson Cancer Center in Richardson, TX. One of her goals, through this book, is to be able to help others realize the importance of a positive attitude and how it can provide strength, courage, and hope to those that are fighting the battle of brain cancer.
