So This Is First Class.

Brain cancer is...

...going to Greeley, in Seats 1C and 1D.

Pretty excited!

Update 9:04 pm Greeley time:

Seeing Summer and Zach was as awesome as expected.   Here’s a link to a video of the day.  

With Zach and Summer in Greeley, 8/31/18.


What a perfect way to end Birthday Month 2018!

If It's Block 4, It Must Be Islands.

Brain cancer is...

 ...happy about Semester Week 1 with students.

Birthday Month Celebration Day 30 was spent in support of Block 4...and at Islands.

Andi is back onsite in Yorba Linda to work with Block 4 in Mathematics Methods, as per last year, at about this time (click here for 2017 post; 18 months after diagnosis).

Of course Block 4 is awesome.   Of course Kristine is awesome to co-teach a mathematics/arts integration with Andi.  Of course Darrell is awesome for schlepping stuff and--for the purposes of his attorney, Christine Mayfield--as awesome as last year.  However, no wagons, and no Internet connection expertise was required.

(Team D:  You understand the need Andi has to protect herself against future litigation.)

Here's to the next generations and to the teachers who hunger to support them.

Happy Birthday Day 30.

Quest for Balance Brings Rabbit Reward

Brain cancer is...

...rewarded for our efforts to balance.

Andi worked at the computer too late today for a walk at the park, so we got in some steps at CSUF after we did errands there.  We were rewarded by the sight, above:  Eight rabbits!  

We can't recall ever seeing eight rabbits at the same time.  What's more, these rabbits seem to live right by Andi's building.  The view is between the EC building and the Engineering building.  

This scene was enough of a reward to fuel our continued Balance Quest.

Birthday Month Celebration Day 29 was lunch with Gordon.

What a wonderful world.

Tuesday Is So Long.

Brain cancer is...

 ...finding out just how long one day can be!

We don't know how (or whether?) Tuesday will end, but it started well.

Brain cancer isn't conducive to sleep.  Neither is the start of a new semester, apparently.  As a result we were up by 4:30.  We worked out AND walked at the park early as a consequence.  Above you see that all of Darrell's territory at the park was in fine shape.

Andi teaches tonight until 10.

Tuesday:  Bring it on!!

Good wishes with your Tuesday too, Team D!

Update 9:03 p.m.

Classes are going well tonight.  Great stuff!  I opened the dinner that Darrell packed for me, and this is what I found:

 I thought those of you who read our story for Optune would want to know:  The notes continue.  I love you too, Darrell.

"Time, Chef!"

Brain cancer is...

 ...celebrating Birthday Month Celebration Day 27...right on time!

Above you see that Darrell made a gourmet lunch for Filet Mignon Monday, Day 27.

Before he called me to the table, he called, "Time, Chef!"  just like in the cooking competition shows.

Well done, Chef!

Happy Monday, Team D!

Cheers!

Brain cancer is...

...celebrating Birthday Month Celebration Day 26.

It was a great Sunday; you see how it began, above.

Thanks, Barb F, for the patio party for Birthday Month Celebration Day 25. (Not shown.)

We are also ready for the first day of school tomorrow. 

Happy Sunday, Team D.

John McCain Died Today.

Brain cancer is...

...very sad.

We had pictures to post, other things to say today. 

Instead, we will just mourn the loss of a bright light and be thankful for how the world is better because of Senator John McCain.

Birthday Month: The Final Stretch

Brain cancer is...

 ...entering the final week of Birthday Month.

Thank goodness.  We didn't realize how much stamina a month of celebrating would take!  Above, Beowulf and Darrell honor Birthday Month Celebration Day 24 with roast beef.

Andi spent time today with CSUF's Clinical Coaches; what a treat! Every time I go to work, I feel optimistic about the future of education.

Then the three humans celebrated Day 24 with Crabfest at Red Lobster before we said goodbye to Alex.  What a joy to have Alex and Tiana so close!

Welcome to the weekend, Team D. 

 News on Senator John McCain

On July 19, 2017, we--with the rest of the country--were saddened by news that Senator John McCain was diagnosed with GBM.  (Click here for that post.) We've been attempting to follow his treatment and health, but information has been hard to come by.  We are so very sad to learn today that Senator McCain has chosen to discontinue medical treatment for his cancer.  (Here's the USA Today report of it.)  Apparently his GBM has been progressing.

We aren't saddened by his decision; we all need to make our own decisions.  We are saddened by the necessity of the choice.  GBM is a monster.  Our hearts, now more than ever, go out to the senator, his family, and our nation.

It's a powerful reminder to us to never take a day for granted.

Balance Quest? Achieved for the Day.

Brain cancer is...

...succeeding in balancing, for the day, in three stages.

1.  Brain Cancer Business.  

Darrell and Andi started the day with a press interview for Darrell's Optune travels.  More on that later when the piece comes out.  But in the meantime, our interviewers told us that they read our Story on the Optune website.  We didn't know it was posted.  Because we vetted it with Gordon, here's the website (Click here).  As Gordon said to us, you've already lived it.  Thanks, Dad, for living the story again. 

2.  Go, Titans, Go!

Alex came, and Andi left Darrell and Alex on the patio to go hang with her EDEL Titan peeps.  It was a great three hours, and check out the cool retirement gift.

Andi loves Dean Lisa! Thanks for the pic, Christine.

3.   We Ended the day at Islands.

Birthday Month Day 23 Celebration? Complete!

You go, Team D!

Racing Stripe Arrays

Brain cancer is...

 ..sporting lean, streamlined arrays.

Darrell likes how minimalist this new array change is.  Very sporty.  The motivation?  Summer heat, as you know, tends to be hard on Optune, and Darrell's scalp suffers a little.  I cut the bandages so his skin can breathe and heal some between changes.  We like the look enough that we might use it more often, just for fashion's sake.

Birthday Month Celebration Day 22

Coffee date with Hallie (left, below) and Ruth (right) at Ruth's find:  Bodhi Leaf Coffee in Placentia.  My iced coffee was so appealingly huge that a man took pictures of it at the counter.  And check out the chocolate waffles.

Three thumbs up! 

 Happy Hump Day, Friends!

The Changing of the Burros, and Whatnot

Brain cancer is...

 

...witnessing the changing of the burros.

You know we affectionately dubbed Darrell's trusty Optune backpack Lil' Burro.  Above (left) you see Darrell's current Lil' Burro.  

Lil' Burro, you've gone many miles and never failed.  Your work here is done. You can rest now.   

The new Lil' Burro (right) is on duty.

And Whatnot

Darrell changed the barbeque tanks today.  

He wants you to know that he loves barbequing as much as he loves football.

Finally:  It's Birthday Month Celebration Day 21.  We kept things fresh and fun with dinner in the Rumpus Room.

So this is the Rumpus Room.

Keep it fresh and fun, Team D!

Let the Balance Quest Commence!

Brain cancer is...

...beginning the balancing act for the semester.

Despite the fact that Andi had a great day on campus and Darrell did impressive things at home, like, for instance...

...rearrange furniture to create charming new tableaux...

...we were getting pretty edgy by late afternoon.  Not enough time together.  Not enough time exercising.  

Aha!  It's time for the Balance Quest!  Instead of Andi sitting back down at the computer, we did our strength training session and then headed to Yorba Regional Park for some time walking together.  Above you can see how lovely it was, with a nice breeze.

We give ourselves two points for recognizing the early warning signs triggering the Balance Quest.

Happy Monday, Team D., and Happy Balancing Act!

"I don't know how I lived this long without football!"

Brain cancer is...

 ...so happy it's NFL preseason!

While I worked at the computer, Darrell worked in the home. 

He also caught up on football.  He barely survived the off season, according to his quote in the title of this post. Go, Pack, Go! (2 and 0)

Birthday Month Celebration Day 19?

Grilled steaks on the patio.

Happy Sunday, Team D., and good luck to all Titans on the first day back tomorrow.

So This Is the Park.

Brain cancer is...

...back at the park.

Birthday Month Celebration Day 18 started with a walk at the park, our first of birthday month.

Right before I took the picture, above, Darrell said, "It's been a long time I suited up."  (He's wearing his vented walking hat.)

Remember how I said I was going to work on my first day of retirement?  Never mind.

The rest of the day will be spent with friends.  We love friends!

Happy Saturday!

Hanging Out with a Working Girl

Brain cancer is...

 ...spending one more day with a woman on the job.

Tomorrow (8/18/18) Andi is retired.  What a day we spent with my last day on the job...First: Breakfast with Gordon.  Then: Lunch with LuAnn.  Happy Hour (Hour--singular?) was in Club Diamond with Christine and Lennie. 

Mayfields brought the awesomeness, above.
 
Andi spent her last day working...not working.  And so it is only fitting that Andi spends her first day not working...working.  (Verification pics to follow.)


Thanks for working and not working, Team D.  Happy Friday.

Pushing the Array Envelope

Brain cancer is..

 ...pushing the envelope for what is possible for an Optune array.

Birthday Month Celebration Day 16 started with early yard work to beat the heat.  Even though we finished by 8:30 a.m.,  Darrell's right array pretty much melted.  But it refused to give up.  No alarm sounded.  We were very surprised because look, above.  You can see there's no contact between some of the transducers and Darrell's scalp.  Way to hang in there, array!  Way to push the envelope, Darrell!

What?  You're wondering about the backdrop in the photo, above?  Why, it's a work of purple art I created for Darrell today because...Birthday Month Day 16 was also Art Day with Ginger!

Good friend Ginger has been my art mentor for years. A cherished activity for the two of us to spend the day at her house, talking, creating art, and ending with a delicious Ginger special salad:  chicken rainbow salad.  

Today Ginger taught me the technique of painting by acrylic pours.  Darrell's art (above) utilizes the acrylic pour technique.  We had great fun...and I learned a technique new to me.

Here's the Slideshow Video

Darrell Says, "Thank You or Taking Such Good Care of Yourself!"

Birthday Month Celebration Day 16 also included Andi's mammogram.  Hurrah for grammed mammies!  When I finished and we walked from the office, Darrell stopped me, looked at my face, and said, "Thank you for taking such good care of yourself."    He wouldn't let me brush off his thanks; he meant it.  

It gave us both a chance to pause and again appreciate the gifts of modern medicine to maintain health and often prevent disease.  

This is a nice time, perhaps, to give a shout out to Team D.  We know from firsthand reports that many of you are taking care of your medical maintenance including, for instance, CT Scan Celebrations, Pap Parties and Colon Spa Days.  

So we end today's post with a thank you to Team D: "Team D., thank you for taking such good care of yourselves."  We need you.



 

Home: Slow and Sound

Brain cancer is...

...back in Fullerton, slow and sound.

We trained it back north to the OC today.  Right around Oceanside, we pulled over for a delay.  Here was our view, sitting still:

We hope no one was injured in "the incident" that delayed us.  (We have no further information.)  However, when the conductor announced, "It's going to be slow rolling, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls!"  we said, "Bring it on!"

Here's the last water view of Birthday Celebration Month Day #15:

Happy Hump Day, Team D!

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! 

Napping

Brain cancer is...

 ...halfway done with abatement. 

We filled 20 bags today and predict that we have the same number for tomorrow. Then Weed Abatement 2018 will be done.

We are recognizing Birthday Celebration Month Day 7 with a nap in the cool mountain breeze. It’s 20 degrees cooler here than down the hill.

Things are blooming and beautiful.

Our apple tree is producing prodigiously.

Lots of flowers, of all colors, are turning their faces skyward.

The lake is lovely, as per usual.

We recommend the nap, Team D.