"The pharmacist sent back the order to the chemo nurse. Apparently the formulation is so toxic, it was beyond a measure of human tolerance. Was the oncology order correct?
Yes it was. Cisplatin is so toxic, its chemical compounds are used to make mustard gas. And the chemo is not even intended to actually kill Will's cancer. Targeted radiation is his best hope. The Cisplatin is only meant to soften the tumor---beat it back, weaken it in to a state of submission so that the radiation can burn the tumor to death.
We are warned, because of the location of the tumor that the radiation may create blisters in Will's mouth and throat. He would need surgery to implant a feeding tube in to his stomach so that we would have the option of feeding him with a liquid protein diet directly in to his digestive system. The doctors say, outside of the cancer, Will is in perfect health. He's relatively young, in great physical shape and we'll all know we did the best we could. We're giving  him everything we have in the arsenal--our weapons of mass cellular destruction."
 
EP:  How do you know how hard to fight? How do you know when to give up? I still wrestle with that question nearly five years later.