Share Your Story: Ira Hughes

<p>Ira Hughes and his family went through two and half years of fighting pediatric cancer with their daughter Audrey before she passed away in 2017.</p> <ul><li>01:17: Can you take us back to the very beginning and what happened with your daughter?  </li><li>03:33: She progressed while we got some physical therapy, everything was looking like a normal kid.  </li><li>05:16: They went to do some research and found four documented cases that had ever originated in the spinal quarter before.  </li><li>07:16: She was getting chemo.  </li><li>09:20: The hospital we had gone to had partnered with MD Anderson in Houston. </li><li>11:03: It's a very aggressive growing cancer.  </li><li>15:05: She always made people laugh, made us laugh.  </li><li>17:56: Phase one trial is a significant trial and it's mainly for safety at that point to see if the patient can tolerate the regimen.  </li><li>20:48: I can't imagine trying to fight cancer right now and having our families more separated than they were during that time. </li><li>23:29: Do you mind if we talk about the after? </li><li>26:01: We're going to be a strong family of four or a strong family of three when we get out of this.  </li><li>28:42: I try to read a book a week or listen to a book a week. </li><li>30:13: I think my wife and I had done a good job of letting each other have the time that we need to have to heal. </li><li>32:30: I felt like I was giving away my child. </li><li>34:07: When did Audrey die? </li><li>37:10: I felt like I was in a place where I generally would be happy, but I wasn't giving myself permission to be happy yet. </li><li>39:08: I almost threw myself off the roof.  </li><li>41:17: Our battle through cancer was on social media. </li><li>46:03: What is one thing you wish you had known at the very beginning of Audrey's cancer journey?  </li><li>47:09: If you could only do one thing to improve health care in the U.S., what would it be and why?  </li><li>48:37: Thriver Rapid Fire </li><li>50:40: Aside from Cancer U, what is one resource you