Troy Aikman Has Taken Me Hostage!!

Saturday was one of those rewarding days that don't come along often enough.  A year ago I was asked to be on a patient panel for a MD Anderson Melanoma Symposium in Houston.   It went ok, nothing earth shattering came of it, and I was glad I participated.   A few weeks ago I was back in Houston for my first round of PET scan and brain MRI (all clear!!!) and Dr. Patel mentioned that they were taking the Symposium on the road, to Austin.   (Austin Tx...........God's country, where the smell of national championships hangs in the air like Aaron Hernandez..........too soon?)   She asked if I would participate on the patient's panel again, and I said "sure".   She said, "and by the way, Troy Aikman is moderating the panel."   Mindy let out a squeal of excitement and wanted to cancel her partner meeting in San Antonio the same weekend to attend the symposium, and I said "oh great, I'm sure Troy will be excited to meet me."   So I go to dinner in Austin last Friday with my nephew William (Mindy's son who is a freshman at Texas) which was a lot of fun, other than me saying that I'm eating Acai bowls every day for lunch, trying to eat really healthy, and William saying "oh, you eat like a sorority girl!"  Thanks William.

Saturday morning on the Texas campus was the symposium, with different doctors giving 30-45 min talks about surgical options, new drugs, the science behind them, ect...   The 3 of us on the patient panel went outside 45 min before out part started to meet and chat with Troy.   It was a lot of fun.   Hard to tell by the picture which appears to be a very happy Troy Aikman, and me trying to blink SOS like I'm being held captive in a Japanese prisoner camp!    I'll let you be the judge:

The talk went GREAT and the stories from the other two patients were amazing.   I met a bunch of people afterwards and was really touched by their stories and the impact that the symposium had on them.    I'm blessed to have been asked to participate!    And Troy was really nice, and will bring a lot of awareness and attention to melanoma research and preventive options.

Mike