Background on the type of cancer I am fighting....

Small bowel cancer starts when cells in the lining of the small bowel, also called the small intestine, begin to change, start to grow without control, and no longer die. These changes can take a long time to develop, and both genetic and environmental factors can cause them, although the specific causes of small bowel cancers are generally not well understood.
The small bowel is part of the digestive system and allows food to be broken down and nutrients to be absorbed into the body. It links the stomach to the large intestine (colon) and is divided into three parts: the duodenum, which is the part closest to the stomach; the jejunum, which is the middle portion; and the ileum, which connects to the large intestine, or colon, at its bottom. The small bowel is approximately 15 feet in length, folds many times to fit inside the abdomen, and makes up three-quarters of the digestive system.
There are five main types of small bowel cancer:
Adenocarcinoma. Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of small bowel cancer, usually occurring in the duodenum or jejunum. Adenocarcinoma begins in the gland cells of the small bowel.
Sarcoma. Small bowel sarcoma is generally a leiomyosarcoma (a tumor that arises in the muscle tissue that makes up part of the intestine and most often occurs in the ileum). See the Cancer.Net Guide to Sarcoma for more information.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). GIST is a rare tumor that is believed to start in cells found in the walls of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, called interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), and belongs to a group of cancers called soft tissue sarcomas. See the Cancer.Net Guide to Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) for more information.
Carcinoid tumor. Carcinoid tumors are classified as neuroendocrine tumors (tumors that originate in the hormone-producing cells of various organs) and generally occur in the ileum. See the Cancer.Net Guide to Carcinoid Tumors for more information.
Lymphoma. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph system, which is part of the body’s immune system. Lymphoma that occurs in the small bowel usually occurs in the jejunum or ileum, and is most commonly non-Hodgkin lymphoma. See the Cancer.Net Guide to Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma for more information.
Statistics
Small bowel cancer is an uncommon cancer that comprises about 1% to 2% of all gastrointestinal cancers.
In 2009, an estimated 6,230 adults (3,240 men and 2,990 women) in the United States will be diagnosed with small bowel cancer. It is estimated that 1,110 deaths (580 men and 530 women) from this disease will occur this year.
As explained above, there are several types of small bowel cancer, and survival rates are different for each. The five-year survival rate (the percentage of people who survive at least five years after the cancer is detected, excluding those who die from other diseases) for adenocarcinoma that can be surgically removed is 20%. The five-year survival rate for leiomyosarcoma that can be surgically removed is about 50%.
Cancer survival statistics should be interpreted with caution. These estimates are based on data from thousands of cases of this type of cancer in the United States each year, but the actual risk for a particular individual may differ. It is not possible to tell a person how long he or she will live with small bowel cancer.
Statistics adapted from the American Cancer Society's publication, Cancer Facts & Figures 2009 and the National Cancer Institute. And so far Most of the doctors who have treated me have said that I must be a freak of nature to survive not 1 but 9 resections so far to date.