When Rusty Ashmore was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2023, he was in disbelief.

“I was like, ‘This can't be — I'm 50 years old, healthy as a horse. There's nothing wrong with me.’”

He’d been visiting his father in Maine when a sudden migraine sent him to the ER; further tests revealed a fast-growing brain tumor. He called his then fiancée, Andrea, back home in northern New York, and she immediately jumped into action.

“Where we are in northern New York, the hospitals are very small,” she says. “So I started looking at facilities in the surrounding areas that we could go to.”

That search led them to University of Vermont Cancer Center, where Rusty could access groundbreaking clinical trials. Rusty’s father drove him to Vermont, Andrea met him there, and together they began their treatment journey.

Through it all, Rusty and Andrea, who are now married, have stayed grounded in optimism and in the life they’re building together. 

You’ve got to take every day for what it is. I might not have a lot of days, but I’ve got tomorrow. - Rusty Ashmore

If you are interested in learning about clinical trials at UVM Cancer Center, visit UVM Clinical Trials.