05/14/2026
Sundas was frying spring rolls for a dinner party when suddenly everything went dark. Fast forward to a few months later, Sundas was at MSK being treated for a lesion in her brain.
She met first with MSK neurosurgeon Dr. Vivian Tabar, and knew immediately that she had made the right decision. Dr. Tabar performed an awake craniotomy and was able to remove 95% of the tumor. Dr. Tabar told her the recovery could be difficult, but that the symptoms would improve with time. Six months later, Sundas was recovering well. Her speech was fluent, and her cognitive function was much improved though not fully back to normal.
Her tumor was identified as oligodendroglioma. Her MSK neuro-oncologist Dr. Ingo Mellinghoff presented her treatment options — standard radiation and chemotherapy on one hand or a clinical trial drug called vorasidenib on the other.
Sundas chose the clinical trial and has been on vorasidenib for nearly five years now, and her cancer has remained stable.
“This is a groundbreaking drug,” Sundas says. “We waited for so long for something like this to come to the market. I’m just thankful it’s there.”
Today, she has found meaning in ordinary joys like daily walks in the park, spending time with her two children and husband, as well as serving on a nonprofit dedicated to helping others with brain cancer.
Read more of Sundas' story:
https://bit.ly/4dH5JXr