Glioblastoma is one of the rarest and deadliest forms of brain cancer. Only five percent of those who have it are expected to live five years. It’s the disease that claimed the lives of U.S. Senators Ted Kennedy and John McCain. And it took the life of 20-year-old Dustin Eskie. All three died on the same day of the year, August 25. The United States Senate this year officially declared July 17 national Glioblastoma Awareness Day. Dustin’s parents, Debi and Dennis Eskie, have raised more than a million dollars through a foundation in Dustin’s honor to help find a cure for glioblastoma.

            In the video, Dr. Michael Salacz (pronounced “shall-itz”), a neuro-oncologist at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, talks about the difficulty in treating glioblastoma. He didn’t treat Dustin, but treats many others like him, and says it’s resistant to chemotherapy and radiation. He also says glioblastoma is very hard to remove surgically because it wraps itself around many vital parts of the brain. He also talks about the treatments and the symptoms of glioblastoma. And he says the survival rate has tripled in the last 10-15 years.

            Also in the video, Debi and Dennis Eskie, Dustin’s parents. They talk about Dustin’s life, and what a witty, unique, out-of-the-box thinker he was. They discuss how he was on a trip in Canada when he called them complaining of severe headaches and vision problems, and how an MRI led to the discovery of glioblastoma. Doctors told them Dustin had two or three months to live…and Dustin made it for nine months. They talk about what a fighter he was, telling them “I’ve got this.” And they talk about the foundation they formed to raise money for research. The video also includes b-roll of MRI scans of Dustin’s glioblastoma and family pictures with Dustin at various stages of his life.