A video essay about University of Vermont Cancer Center patient Rusty Ashmore and his family tells the story of their cancer journey, from “unusual symptoms” including a migraine, to the unthinkable: diagnosis of an aggressive, fast-growing brain cancer. The median life expectancy for glioblastoma patients is 12–18 months.
In 2023, Rusty and his then-fiancée, Andrea, traveled from their home in northern New York State to the University of Vermont Cancer Center, where he had surgery to remove part of his brain tumor and was also deemed eligible to participate in a clinical trial. The trial paired two kinds of chemotherapy with six weeks of radiation to target what was left of the tumor.
During the treatment, Rusty and Andrea planned their wedding, with Andrea bringing her wedding dress back and forth with her from home to the hospital “just in case something happened.” In 2024, 10 months after the initial diagnosis, they got married at their home in St. Lawrence County, New York.
With their second wedding anniversary coming up in June, recent scans show the tumor has continued to shrink. Through it all, Rusty and Andrea have stayed grounded in optimism and in the life they’re building together.
“UVM, for us, a big part of it means hope.” — Andrea Ashmore