Faced with an aggressive, growing brain tumor and a standard treatment with difficult side effects, Jim Owens opted for a promising cutting-edge therapy that allowed him to work full time, and still ride and compete in cycling events throughout his treatment. Best of all, the new drug stopped the tumor in its tracks.

Jim’s cancer was first discovered in 1998, when he had a seizure while training for a marathon. Radiation shrunk it to the size of a plum. When the tumor became active again in 2002, Jim didn’t qualify for any clinical trials. However, a discussion with another oncologist and research into the latest chemotherapy for brain cancer led Jim to try a new drug. He underwent eight rounds of oral chemotherapy for eight months last year. MRI tests continue to show the tumor has stabilized, and some areas have improved.

“I’m so thankful that I didn’t just get the treatment everyone else did,” Jim says. “I’m so glad I got a second opinion and that it made sense for me to try something new.”

Jim had seen the benefit of cutting-edge cancer treatment before. He helped care for his younger sister Catherine during her battle with cancer when she was only 10 years old and Jim was 13. During recovery from chemotherapy, radiation and surgeries, Jim played board games with Catherine when they both would rather have been running through the woods. Catherine tried a cutting-edge treatment to treat the tumor in her leg, and thanks in part to the therapy that saved her life and her leg, she placed third in the state tennis championships five years later and has been cancer-free for nearly 30 years.

Jim supported his father through prostate cancer treatment in 2001, urging him to be aggressive with his disease. “I’m determined to do all I can to ensure he’s around to get to know my son,” Jim says.

The latest recurrence of his tumor demonstrates for Jim the need for and benefit of research into new cancer treatments through clinical trials. And Jim knows he’ll continue to need new and better treatments. His brain tumor is dormant, but it is still there. Jim is also concerned for his young son, Max, who may have a higher risk for developing cancer.

Yet Jim says he feels hopeful, for himself and for Max. “The more I read, the more I am convinced that there are major advancements coming each year, and one of these will bring a more permanent solution or cure for me and for others fighting a similar battle,” he says.

The advancements won’t come, however, without funding for research and more people to take part in the clinical trials. Jim’s mission as a member of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope™ Team is to continue his role as the “cancer crusader,” a nickname given to him by his wife. Jim has been very active in using his bike to raise funds for cancer causes. “I want to be part of helping someone, hopefully many people, realize that they don’t have to take cancer lying down,” he says. “I want to help turn victims into survivors, just like me.