INSIDE GEMS recently received a story from GEMS employee Don Shave (seen at right with his wife). Don has worked for GE since 1986 and has spent much of the past few years battling a brain tumor. His treatment and diagnosis involved a great deal of GE equipment, such as CT and MR scans, an Angio exam and a Chest X-ray in the Milwaukee area. Don’s most rewarding experience with a piece of GE equipment came in Madison where he underwent a GE PET Scan.

Beth Klein, Global General Manager of Nuclear/PET, said “[This story] reinforces that what we do everyday is about saving lives and improving the quality of life for those whose health is not a given."

Please, take a moment, and read Don’s story, written in his own words:

“I am currently surviving a terrible disease. I have a highly aggressive malignant brain tumor known as a Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). This incurable cancer has extremely high fatality rates ... most don't reach the two-year mark (92%), 97% don't reach five years and up to 99% don't make it to 10 years. I have endured open-brain surgery to excise the tumor, 60 Grays of radiation therapy over two months to 'burn out' the tumor roots and 18 months of chemotherapy to try and cleanup any residual 'seeds.' This is all palliative, not curative -- these tumors always regrow, resetting the clock to zero ... I'm both happy and lucky to have passed the two-year mark with flying colors in May, a very significant milestone!

“About seven months ago, my wife and I were presented with the most unpleasant news possible: my November MR brain scan showed that the tumor had 'some enhancement,' a real challenge as regrowth is a certainty with GBM tumors. Our medical guidance for this condition was to wait a couple months and have another scan ... the 'blip' might be caused by other things including necrotic tissue or even the current MR scanner imaging calibration.

“My everyday ‘Life's Little Complexities’ were suddenly magnified 1,000 times by the repeating thought, ‘Well, here we are...’ As you may well imagine, I had no idea where to turn, what to do, how to think. Knowledge is power, but it can be a very sharp, double-edged sword -- the fatality statistics and this little ‘enhancement’ are really very, very confusing, frequently depressing me and altogether extremely difficult to work through.

“In late January, another MR scan again showed the changes around the tumor, confirming the reality of the enhancement and increasing the episodic spells of depression. I was scheduled for another MR scan using a Spectroscopy protocol to try and determine if the enhancement was due to tumor activity. Spect allows the MR scanner to show levels of metabolic activity, a critical data point for the observed changes: if this is regrowth, the tumor will exhibit high activity levels. The scan failed to determine the details needed due to the location of the tumor near my skull, taking my overall state of mind down even further. It was getting very hard to see anything like the light at the end of the tunnel.

“With the failure of the Spect exam, I was scheduled to travel to Madison for a PET scan, well-known for its ability to clearly show levels of metabolic activity. The tumor area would be lit up in bright yellow on the images if the metabolism was running away. Again, knowledge is power ... I really, really wanted to know the answer but was scared to death that the news would actually confirm the 'here we go again' regrowth thing.

“The PET scan went without any glitches. The PET clinical technician was extremely competent and personally lifted me to 'Seventh Heaven' after the scan with these simple words ... ‘your scan shows no enhancement at all.’

"This news took several minutes to really sink in as my wife and I walked from the hospital. I found myself wanting to leap and dance around, ‘It’s just scar tissue!’

"Necrotic tissue is something that's perfectly normal and to be expected after surgery/RT/chemotherapy ... so is the frightening alternative, tumor regrowth. The PET scan confirming the real cause allowed an incredible weight to be lifted from me and my family. All of this as we approached the second anniversary of the diagnosis. The PET scanner now stands in our eyes as one of life’s Real Enhancements!”


Thank you, Don, for sharing your story. It makes us all more aware of the diagnostic capabilities of PET and reminds us of the reasons we make medical equipment. Your story is one of inspiration and strength to us all.