But when symptoms — lightheadedness, forgetting things, having to take breaks and sit down all of the time, wanting to voice thoughts that were coming to mind but not being able to and not being able to breathe — began occurring daily, Pond knew there was something seriously wrong.

"It scared me like crazy."

After two surgeries, Pond's doctors told him to kiss his kids goodbye; there was nothing more they could do.

Hearing that, Pond said, "If this is what the Lord has in store from me, I'll do it, but I still prayed like crazy."

If being diagnosed with brain cancer and told he was going to die wasn't enough, Pond said his wife kicked him out of their house and they have since divorced. He began preparing for his funeral services, but his large family wasn't quite ready to hear the fat lady sing.

Wanting a second opinion before they closed another music box, younger brother Mark Pond and other siblings took Matt to the Huntsman Cancer Institute where he met with neuro-oncologist Dr. Michael Glantz, who after looking at Pond's films said, "We can fix this."

"We just bawled," Pond said. "Going from 'kiss your kids goodbye' to 'we can fix this' was truly a miracle and news that was indeed welcomed."

Sister Jane Dame recalls, "The first thing Matt tried to do (after his third surgery) was to quickly recite a family tradition of saying all 14 children's names: Ron, Dennis, Leda, Dana, Geoff, Emilie, Marietta, Becky, Rachel, Jane, Cami, Patty, Matt, Mark."

Frequently throughout his treatment, Pond would reassure his family, "It's all coming around, it's all good. The Lord's in charge," said brother Geoff Pond.

"He would tell us everything will work out. He was the one who would say to us 'don't worry,' " said sister Rachel Wilson.

Sue Childress, director of Nursing Services and co-director of the Patient Education Steering Committee at the Huntsman institute, said, "Matt has certainly changed the dynamics of the committee; not only to have his realistic input on what we should be saying to our patients in patient education, but his humor and humanity that he brings is very positive."

Pond works daily on strengthening his cognitive skills by reading and studying as much as he can in addition to attending physical therapy and strengthening his "If I Only Had a Brain" performance. And like other cancer patients who finish treatment and are stable but still under surveillance, Pond visits Glantz every three months for a routine MRI.

"We're excited about him being able to move on and having a bright future," Geoff Pond said.

He even got his driver's license back and now drives others instead of the other way around. And when he sees his three boys he says he cherishes every minute.

"I love my boys," he said. "Every time I get to spend with them is a blessing and we don't have to go and do fancy things; we are just happy to be together."