When Cora "Corky" Hilliard was diagnosed with squamous cell cancer of the tongue for the second time in June 2012, she got to MD Anderson as quickly as she could. She'd had her first tongue cancer occurrence treated near her home in Austin nearly three years earlier. At the time, she'd been told that the disease would never return to its original location.
At MD Anderson, our integrated approach to cancer treatment won her admiration immediately.
Corky's confidence proved well-founded. During an Aug. 2012 robot-assisted surgery, Kupferman was able to completely remove the golf ball-sized tumor near the base of Corky's tongue without compromising her ability to speak — a critical concern since she makes her living as a public speaker.
Today, Corky considers herself lucky. None of the 30 or so lymph nodes surgically removed during the course of her treatment showed evidence of metastasis. So her second tongue cancer treatment didn't require chemotherapy or radiation.
Corky is now just six months shy of the coveted five-year mark for remaining tongue cancer-free. But she must watch her body closely for signs of secondary cancers caused by her previous radiation exposure.
Corky also finds great satisfaction in using her voice to give back to the place that helped her to keep it.
She began donating annually to MD Anderson in 2012, and she encourages others to do the same.
Make a gift to MD Anderson to support cancer research that benefits patients like Corky.
MD Anderson literally gave me my voice back.