Stache Strong

Brain cancer is...

...Vigilant.  Vicious.  Incurable.  In it together.

Reader's alert:  Just to prevent you from worrying, Darrell is fine. Read on.

Some days our lives are so ordinary that we feel a little guilty blogging.  Today, for instance, a highlight was the opportunity to ooh! and ahh! at the sights on our way down the mountain.

For us, it was just another ordinary miracle today.  Everybody has ordinary miracles.  Why keep posting ours?

Then Colin's email came into Andi's inbox this afternoon. 

Colin and GJ are brothers we met at the Optune Ambassador Summit a few weeks ago.  GJ has GBM and is an Optune user.  Colin is his younger brother and array changer.  (Imagine sentimental parents of two sons, Darrell and Andi, witnessing such a beautiful sibling relationship of mutual support. Tears involved?  What do you think?)

GJ was diagnosed in September 2017 and has been an Optune user for a year.  Today Colin shared that GJ had a GBM recurrence on the side of his brain opposite the original tumor.  He is recovering from an emergency surgery.

The announcement of GJ's recurrence coincided with the release date of a documentary that shares the first four months of Team GJ's cancer adventure.  Watch the four-minute inspiration here, and feel free to share.

Colin and GJ formed an organization, Stache Strong, to capture GJ's experience with GBM.  Here's the home page.  If you choose to read even a little of the family's story and subsequent efforts to create change in the GBM world, you'll be as inspired as we are by the strength of GJ, family, and friends.

When Darrell heard GJ's news of recurrence, he said quietly, "on pause."  His phrase is an excerpt from Darrell's recent post about the power of Optune to "put GBM on pause...and put life on play" (Here's the link if you'd like a refresher.)  Brain cancer is...on pause at our house today. 

In his email, Colin shared:

"Given the recurrence of Geej’s tumor on the other side of his brain and emergency brain surgery on Friday, we wanted to hold off on releasing episode one, but decided it shows just how quickly things can change with GBM.  It serves to remind us all that while Geej is an absolute warrior, GBM is currently incurable.  It’s vicious.  It’s unfair. It’s frustrating.  But, it’s real.

As I sat next to my brother in the ICU throughout the past few days, I prayed that we can find something that works.  I know he will continue to grow stronger every day as he recovers from brain surgery and prepares for the gauntlet of next treatments to fight GBM.  

What I also know is that I won’t stand by and watch GBM rip through families and communities and I won’t pretend that GBM is easy.  It’s not easy.  It will never be easy, and that will never change.  But what CAN change is what we do and how we impact tomorrow....Hug the ones you love tighter this holiday season."

You bet we will, Colin.  You bet that all of Team D will be holding GJ and his Team in our hearts through upcoming phase of the battle.

And Darrell and Andi will post again tomorrow..  Fight on, Geej. #LiveStacheStrong