A woman who was halfway through her doctoral studies when she learned she had a brain tumor received her degree Thursday night, WBAL-TV in Baltimore reported.Robyn Gilden accepted her Ph.D. at the University of Maryland, Baltimore City."It means recognition for a lot of hard work for me, but also the support of my family, and my husband and children," she said.Gilden was diagnosed in 2008 with a malignant brain tumor. She was 32 at the time, and the mother of two underwent surgery."After surgery, I had a little bit of a complication where I couldn't move the right side of my body and I couldn't talk," she said. "It was a very scary time for my family."Six weeks of radiation and eight months of chemotherapy took Gilden's body to the breaking point, but she refused to slow down.Gilden wanted to keep life normal for her young son and daughter. She also continued teaching at the nursing school and kept on with her doctoral research."She's just a nonstop person," said her husband, Brad Gilden. "She just persevered through everything that happened."Dr. Gilden is now cancer-free."I just had an MRI last week, so we'll see," she said. "As of right now, there is no cancer."She will assume an assistant faculty role, all while savoring every second she has with her family. She's also planning a mission trip this summer and is active in raising money for brain cancer research."I really do understand that we're not promised tomorrow, so I try to make the most of every day," she said.
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