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

Darrell Joins the Birdies.

Brain cancer is...

 ...for the birds.

With the Mayfields gone this morning, we had only our birds to keep us company.
While I worked on the computer, Darrell discovered the simple joy of feeding our forest friends (above).

When one is supposed to be grading student work, few things are more interesting than the birds enjoying Darrell's feast on the deck.

Here are two we can't identify, even with our Merlin Bird ID app.

Some sort of dove?

We think a woodpecker, but which?

Happy Sunday, Team D!

34 Months

Brain cancer is...

 ...34 months old.

Congratulations, Darrell, on another great month post diagnosis.  You make this GBM gig look easy, you with your 7 miles of hiking in those heavy boots.

Our Saturday was beautiful.  We hope yours was too, Team D.

Distance View of the Lake, from the Loop Hike

Bonus Content:  Forest sounds video from Loop Hike (Click here.)

Appreciating the Ephemeral

Brain cancer is...

 ...appreciating beauty even more when it is fleeting.

We have seen much snow here in Fawnskin.  But the snow we woke up to this morning was its own kind of special.  The snow seemed to be super sticky and held onto branches for every moment it could.  Our lesson for today was, again, appreciating each of life's moments for what they offer.

 Tomorrow's post:  Much more green than white.  Ephemeral snow.

White Christmas Season

Brain cancer is....

..celebrating white Christmas season with the Mayfields.

It's Christine's first white Christmas season, and the getting here, we think, was worth it.  Here's the story, from a rainy beginning, through a chain-filled afternoon, to friends connecting.

 

Officially in Training

Brain cancer is...

 ...on the move.

Every year on Super Bowl Sunday, to commemorate the anniversary of Darrell's diagnosis (his "cancerversary"), we take a long walk instead of going to the Emergency Department, the way we did in 2016 when Darrell's cancer adventure began.  (Want some instant replays?  Click here for the first Super Bowl Stroll, which was 30,000 steps, and click here for the second, which was 35,000.) 

Our third annual Super Bowl Stroll is two months away. We plan to walk 40,000 steps on Sunday, February 3, 2019, for Darrell's third cancerversary. Yipes. The semester has been tough on our walking regimen.

But we are back on the move.  Training officially began today with four miles, in the rain, at a good clip.  (Or more accurately, Darrell moved at a good clip.  I took pictures of the rain and the wigeons.)

Our legs were very happy to be out and moving again. Our hearts were very happy to begin preparations for celebrating another year in Life 2.0.

Bonus Content

Zachary woke up this morning in his Colorado home, ready to tackle the job of hanging his holiday lights.  His text message had us laughing out loud:

Note the distance from the top of the ladder to the the roof line.  Any suggestions?

Here's hoping that Wednesday bring you some happy moments too, Team D.

Skilled!

Brain cancer is...

 ...so skilled!

The mystery of the orange dog collars (from this post) is hereby solved.  Above you see that Darrell mastered yet another skill:  Putting on his new snow "chains." (Each front tire gets five.)  Thanks for introducing us to these cool new gadgets, Lennie!  Thanks for always learning new things, Darrell!