Birthday Month Day #14: Two New Things

Brain cancer is...

...such an explorer! 

Today we started Work Taper:  Andi getting ready for the semester.  While I worked for precisely four hours (alarm set), Darrell explored his world.  

When I tapered off work, Darrell was ready with two new things:

• Thing One:  We ate lunch at Lou and Mickey’s (above and below).  For years we have just walked right past.  How about you, San Diego Adventurers?  Upon entry, we discovered that Lou and Mickey’s is an upscale steakhouse.  We did not know.

• Thing Two: Nora recommended Crab Louis, and we ate it. We loved it.  Great new thing!  If only Nora wasn’t a Patriots fan.  Gross.

Here are the day’s highlights, in video:

Day 14 highlights Animoto link 

Vacation time taper:  Heading home tomorrow lunch.

Try new things, Team D.  Or don’t, and be proud.

Museum Day

Brain cancer is...

 ...celebrating Birthday Month Celebration Day 13 at Balboa Park.

We discovered the Explorer Pass, which, for less than $50, grants access to one's choice of 5 of the 16 museums in Balboa Park.  What a day!

We thought specifically of so many of you and our adventurers together.  Here are a few images of the day:

Walking to breakfast

Darrell's favorite work at the Museum of Art.  Darrell titled it, Death and Destruction.

 He treated me to earrings by the artist, not titled Death and Destruction. 

He found his Grizzly kin at the Natural History Museum.

Realizing we'd need to conserve our energy, Darrell engaged in careful planning.

Lunch at the Prado

Cruising through the Automotive Museum

Tickled to see Snoopy battle the Red Baron at the Air and Space Museum

Even with Darrell's careful planning, we made it through only four of our five museums before we needed to head back for a nap.

Now we are recharged and ready to hunt for dinner.

Happy Monday, Day 13, Team D!

Happy 58, Big D!

Brain cancer is...

 ...58 years old.

 Darrell was diagnosed with GBM at 55.  Today he turned 58  Yay birthdays!  Above you see him enjoying a Polish dog at Fullerton train station at 7 a.m.  It's the tradition.

After finishing the hot dog, we headed south for the birthday trip to San Diego.

Here are the highlights of the southbound trip.

Animoto link

Now we are enjoying the fanciest hotel room we have ever shared.

YouTube link
  Happy Birthday, Big D!

(And thanks, everyone, for your cards, texts, calls, and emails!)

Hat Trick

Brain cancer is...

 ...celebrating Year 58 with A and T.

Birthday month celebration day 11? AWESOME!  Tomorrow is Darrell's actual 58th birthday, a bonus birthday, and Tiana and Alex were in FTown for warm up today. 

Darrell scored a hat trick:  His favorite, vanilla ice cream, three times.  Yes, the accomplishment entailed some vaguely unsettling time at Burger King, but...it's all about you Big D.

See video highlights here.:

Animoto Video link here 

YouTube Video link here

This birthday month is requiring stamina; not for the faint of heart. 

Nonetheless, can't wait for your Big Day, Big D!

Butterflies and Water Walls

Brain cancer is...

 ...surprise! Having another great day!

You know it’s a great Birthday Celebration Month Day 10 when, by 9:09 a.m., Darrell morphs into a tentatively malevolent butterfly (above), and Gordon morphs into a decidedly benign one:

Lunch with LuAnn was equally adventurous.  We adventured close to her home and discovered Red Lantern Restaurant, a delicious find for Chinese food.  Our good experience started with this terrific water wall at the front door:

  The water wall elicited much conversation.  Here are four major points of the conversation:

• Water walls are cool.  LuAnn might need one.  
• Water walls contribute to feng shui.  Our server let us know that the owner installed the wall for feng shui purposes, largely to balance the the energy of the restaurant's west-facing entrance door.  
• Water walls operate thanks to the Coanda effect, says Darrell.  Here's Andi's take on the Coanda effect: A fluid nearest a curved surface (the water nearest the curves in the wall) tends to stick to the surface of the curved wall and thus flow more slowly than does the water at the top of the water layer, away from the curved wall.    Here's the video:

No Alternate YouTube link for the water wall video.  But if you are new and really care about the Coanda Effect (and why wouldn't you?), you've got to click here for the YouTube video that demonstrates the effect in a visible way.

• The dumplings were delicious, says Andi.

You did it, Team D; you made it to Friday!  Happy weekend! 

The Sky Chair Adventure: Who Knew?

Brain cancer is...

...adventuring on Birthday Month Celebration Day 9.

Before heading down the mountain today, we pursued the Sky Chair Adventure.  Just this year we learned that Snow Summit is open all summer to hikers and mountain bikers.  Everyone hops on the chair lift—bikes included—for fun at the top, 8,200 feet.  Some hikers pick up the Skyline Trail there at the summit.

We bought the “lunch and lift” pass and headed to the top.  We hiked some, enjoyed lunch at the Skyline Taphouse, and enjoyed great views of the lake on the way back down.

Here’s the slideshow:

The Sky Chair Adventure Animoto link

The Sky Chair Adventure You Tube link

We can't remember being on a chair lift since before the kids were born.  So much adventure, less than 10 miles from the cabin.  Guillaumes give it two thumbs up!

Here’s the Snow Summit link if you want your own Sky Chair Adventure. 

Thirty Months Old

 Updated with a photo and additional Optune info 8/9/18.

Brain cancer is...

 ...thirty months old.

Today is Darrell's 30-month-from-diagnosis  anniversary.  What's so special about 30 months?  The median overall survival with GBM is 15 months.  Double that.  That's today.*

Imagine someone asking you, "You have one year to live.  What will you do with it?"

We made careful choices; we answered that question, and we lived that year. 

And now we are living another year...and...oh, wait, another half a year beyond that.

Fight on, Darrell!

That's a pretty awesome Birthday Month Celebration Day Day 8.

 Update:  Fun (?) Photo

When we talked with Zach today about Darrell's anniversary, Andi said, "30 months, and he shows absolutely no sign of slowing down."  Zach said, "We don't even know what could stop the Big D."  True, true.  However, we do know what cannot stop Darrell:

 A weed whacker.  Darrell wanted you to see.  Abatement 2018:  No casualties, one injury.  Owie.


 *Yes, Optune changes everything.  We have stated elsewhere that people with Darrell's Optune compliance stats have incredible long-term survival numbers:  40% surviving GBM 5 years versus 10% survival without Optune with high compliance rates.  

I did some more research on Optune's company, Novocure, in preparing for this post.  Optune's mechanism for treatment, Tumor Treating Fields, shows promising results for many, many cancers.  If you're interested, check out this link for Novocure's timeline for working against other cancers.  Their treatment for pancreatic cancer has a Phase 3 trial occurring right now, right here in So Cal:  Anaheim!

Fight on, Cancer Warriors!