Optune Usage Champion of the World

Brain cancer is...

 ...the Optune Usage Champion of the World.

And we have proof.  Above is a screenshot of a text from Optune Amy today.  Darrell's usage rates are holding strong at 98%.

Probably the title is purely an honorary one, but it does have Darrell raising both fists to the sky in celebration.

Happy Tuesday, Team D!

Ready for Off Roading

Brain cancer is...

 ...ready for off roading.

Today it rained a little, so we laced up our new hiking shoes (hikers) and gleefully headed out the door to road test them.  So far so good!

Why hiking shoes?  Why now?  I'll try to make it brief.

• Recently (in this post), upon reflection that I have kept a promise and never required Darrell to camp in 35 years, I realized I didn't negotiate for a parallel promise of my own. 
• I decided that my parallel promise from Darrell would be that he would be willing to occasionally off-road it with me during our walks.
• It wasn't an easy promise for him (he likes pavement, and he likes it dry), but true to his superhero status, Darrell agreed. He impressed me and thoroughly warmed my heart—yet again.

On the day he made good on his new promise (March 19, here’s the post), Darrell did this:

Note shoes.  Oh no!  Promise kept?  Check.  Safety guidelines met?  No.

In reviewing my caregiver decisions as we reached the summit, I realized that I left my caregiver choices left some room for improvement.

I can't ask Darrell to follow me into rough terrain solely wearing tennies.  I must provide adequate footwear to ensure safe promise implementation.

Hence the hikers.

A promise of future adventures and new shoes.  What a day!

Hike on, Team D!

Clark Park: A Walk into History

Brain cancer is...

 ...so adventuresome!

Darrell didn't even pause when I suggested a new park for our walk today.  Above you see him at Ralph B. Clark Park, less than six miles from us.

The park had QR codes to recorded information explaining sites at the park and its history.  That was fun because we learned what we were looking at.  (Here's the link.)  We stepped back into time on this walk.

We found out that the park was created after rich fossil beds were discovered there by the California Department of Transportation (DOT) in the 1950's and 60's.  The DOT was excavating sand and gravel to construct the San Diego and Riverside Freeways.  They found fossils like those of a giant ground sloth, a saber tooth cat, and a mammoth.  Super cool!

What did they do with earth that remained after excavation?  They created Elephant Hill and Camel Hill.  In this picture, we're standing on Camel Hill, looking at the lower Elephant Hill.

We also learned that this region was under the sea long ago.  That's pretty clear from looking at the nearby bluffs:

An adventure and a walk back in time!

Okay, back to work with us until...Game of Thrones Episode Three time.

Happy Sunday, Friends.

Play On, Humans!

Brain cancer is...

...happy to be a part of the human race.

Before arising and while planning our day this morning, we agreed it would be a mostly-stay-at-home-and-work-day today.  That made Darrell sad.  But then we agreed on pizza for dinner, and his frown turned upside down.  Potential pizza makes everything okay.

We didn't spend much time out today, but every minute we did spend out...we saw humans at play.

Craig Park was party, party, party.  Look how many bounce house variations exist, above.  We saw so many gatherings of people enjoying time together.  Our favorite was an epic tug-of-war at a family reunion.  We wanted to sneak in, but we didn't have the family tee-shirts.

Tonight we went out for said pizza:  California Pizza Kitchen at the mall.  We saw more people having fun.  A constant stream of people waited for the experience of enjoying good food in a festive atmosphere. We saw small people in tutus, slightly larger people in sparkly prom dresses, people carrying cakes with flaming candles...  So many people playing!

We have written about play before, so we'll be brief.  To play is to "engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose."  Play is an important part of neotony, the retention of juvenile characteristics into adulthood.   (Click here to hear the play guru, Stuart Brown, explain  it in 28 seconds.) 

Humans are the most neotenous of all species.  Play keeps us learning.  Play keeps us evolving.  Play keeps us young.  Play keeps us alive.

Everything we saw at the park was play.  Everything we saw at CPK was play. 

What a privilege to spend our day with creatures at play.  Here are some virtual play scenes of the day, from Team D members who shared.

In Wisconsin, Meridyth played by hanging in front of a fire while outside raged this spring storm:

In Tennessee, Christine ran 26 plus miles.  That's the weird thing about play:  The player picks the play.

In Perris, CA, Curt played with a grandchild, who played on a train:

Beth and Geoff went on an adventure scavenger hunt in Temecula, CA:

 Play on, humans, play on!

So This Is the Back Patio!

Brain cancer is...

...ending a great day well.

Today was loads of fun with Gordon then LuAnn, and together we got lots done. 

 

At breakfast we talked with other regulars for the first time.  It turns out the fellow was Darrell’s high school wood shop teacher, Mr Guthrie.

Go figure!

We end the day on the back patio, watching lots of birds enjoy the cool evening, circling overhead.

Welcome to the weekend, Friends!

"Getting into So Much Trouble"

Brain cancer is...

 ...able to "get into so much trouble!"

This afternoon Andi had the absolute pleasure and honor to co-teach with fifth-grade teacher extraordinaire Bree Victoria.

Bree was a former Master's degree student.  Oh, and her mom is Adventure Girl Denise Victoria.  Oh, and I have known Bree since she was in kindergarten, doing science fair projects with Zach.  I really appreciated seeing how amazing she was a teacher.  It's good to get old!

While I was gone, Darrell, in his words, "got into so much trouble."  Above you see that he moved a car into the not-empty-when-I-left-home garage. 

That's all the right kind of trouble, Darrell!

Take Your Bows, Purple!

Brain cancer is...

...enjoying the purple in our own backyard.

We are also enjoying it vicariously, through friends.  Here's a sampling.

Christine had a purple walk on campus:

And Chris enjoyed her enthusiastic sweet peas:

Thanks for joining in the purple party, friends!

Oh, and speaking of friends:  Both Chris and Denise pointed out that the Big Bear eaglets have hatched.  Click here to see them on the Eagle Cam. ( Geoff, the look of these eaglets will have you crying for a duckling photo!)

Upon waking, Darrell pronounced that today would be a great day.  It was indeed so.  We were both very productive, together and separately, and are looking forward to holding hands on the couch.

We hope your Wednesday was great too, Loved Ones.

Appreciating the Purple

Brain cancer is...

 ...appreciating the purple before it's gone.

We took an afternoon walk around our neighborhood and saw a lot of purple blooms.  Above is one example.

That made us realize that we have seen so much purple recently.   With the temperatures rising and no more rain in sight, today we honor the spring gift of purple.  Ephemeral purple:  We salute you!

Santa Rosa Plateau

UCLA Arboretum

We just updated yesterday's post.  Great news! Last night Lennie and Christine earned their array change badges.  Congratulations--and thank you--Mayfields!  (Here's the link.)

More Good Scan News

Brain cancer is...

...maybe collapsing a little. 

Dr. Cloughesy was  encouraging this morning. Here's the news, in two parts.

 The Tumor Site

You recall that the resection of Darrell's tumor in 2016 left a cavity, which shows as black on MRI scans.  Its borders show as white, or enhanced.  Enhanced areas could mean a variety of things, like cancer cell growth or scar tissue.  So doctors are careful to look for changes in enhancement.

The amount of enhancement at the borders of the tumor site has decreased a bit over time.  Today Dr. Cloughesy said, "All that's left is a little enhancement."

About the tumor cavity itself, he said it looks like it may have collapsed a little. (The black area in January's scan, left, is slightly larger than in this month's scan, where Dr. Cloughesy is pointing.)

Here's what he's looking at:

Hurrah!

The Rest of the Brain

Dr. Cloughesy also studied the scan for any suspicious activity elsewhere.  He looked as hard as he could and still concluded, "There is just nothing that is concerning."

More hurrah!

The Conclusion

Three more months!  Three more months!

Dr. Cloughesy's encouraging words don't change what happens next; Darrell's next scan will still be in July.  But doesn't it feel great to hear not only "no change" but also "maybe less"?

Dr. Park moved Darrell's appointment to May 10, so Cancer "Week" isn't over until then.  Nonetheless...

Three more months!  Three more months!

Evening Update:  Array Change Certification (4/23/19)

The day only got better.  Christine and Lennie came over in the evening with an Easter basket and a plate of hummus.  They earned full certification as array changers..

Recently we realized that, with all our grown kids gone, Andi has no back-up for Optune changes.  Yipes.  Now we do, and I can relax. Phew.  My favorite quote of the evening was from Lennie.  In peeling the backing off the sticky arrays, Lennie said, "I like stickers!"  Thanks, Mayfields!  What a team you two are!

Tucked in at Tiverton

Brain cancer is...

 ...so happily surprised!

We were sad a few weeks ago when we declined invitations to family Easter celebrations because we'd be in Westwood on Easter.

Then:  Surprise!  Beth and Geoff (above center) offered to join us for Easter brunch at Napa Valley Grille.

Surprise Number Two came today when Curt and Barb (above right) came too, with Curt waving out the window all the way up Glendon Blvd.

Suddenly we were celebrating Easter in full force.

These LA spaces have been part of our regular experience for years, but we rarely have the chance to share our routine.  Darrell said he felt like we were college kids sharing our dorm adventure with friends from home.

Here's brunch:

 Here's the arboretum:

Here's our room:

What a great day!

Tomorrow's appointment with Dr. Cloughesy is at eight.   He's practicing for the neuro exam: Spell "world."  Now spell "world" backward.

Happy Easter, all who celebrate it! Happy Beautiful Day, all!

Friends and Family

Brain cancer is....

...fortunate to have friends and family nearby.

Brunch was in Los Angeles with TK and Matt to celebrate Matt's birthday. 

Otium was a great choice on Matt's part.  Being with friends?  Always the right choice!

Alex and Tiana set up linner in Irvine.

Above are Moira, Tony, Tiana, Alex, and D and A.  Two Left Forks was another good decision. Being with family?  Always the right choice!

(Shout out:  Thanks to Darrell for driving while I worked on my computer in our mobile office all over the Southland.  It allowed for a great combination of work and play on this lovely Saturday.)

Rock On, Parents!

Brain cancer is...

...happy for the chance to laugh with parents...regularly.

Rock on, parents!

Problem Solved

Several of you saw a shower head in yesterday’s post. Right you are.

Darrell treated our mineral-infested shower head to a specially designed vinegar bath.  

It worked! Now our rainforest flow, once again, is directed downward.

Welcome to the weekend!

"It's Go Time!"

Brain cancer is...

 ...starting the day out right!

When our morning begins with us wearing goggles and shower caps, the day holds nothing but pure potential.

Darrell says, "It's go time!"

Author's tough decision here:  End the post with that cliff hanger, or give a little more information?

Oh, all right! Here:

It's Thursday, Team D!  Let's do this!

"The noise in life IS life."

Brain cancer is...

 ...profound.

Today went in so many directions that we did not predict (spoiler alert:  all good).  Darrell's quote, the title of this post, captures his debrief of the day.  Specifically, in engineering (signal processing), noise is a term for "general unknown modifications to a signal."

In this girl's interpretation, noise is everything that enters our ears while we're attempting to hear a particular message.  It's noise (no meaning) vs. sound (meaning).  So...noise is what we hear while listening for a more focused thing that we think will have meaning.

I love Darrell's sentiment. To me, it means that life is what happens while we all are busy making other plans, listening for something more.

Some examples:  We thought we'd celebrate Darrell's tentatively good scan with tuna fish sandwiches at lunch.  And then, at dinner time, this happened:

Earlier, this happened:

It was great to catch up with Hallie and Ruth.  Why does monthly coffee skip a few months?  Because the noise in life is life. (Side note:  We happened upon The Coffee Cup by accident.  Recommend!)

At dinner, friend Joyce sent this picture of a spring day in New York's Central Park:

Dang, Joyce!  Which coast is best:  East or west?  It's a draw. 

Darrell's concluding thought:  If we know you, you are the noise in our lives. You are our lives.
 
Beautiful planet, beautiful people.

Photo credit:  Both Central Park photos are by Joyce.

Good [Tentative] Scan News

Brain cancer is...

 ...(apparently) stable.

The radiologist just posted his reading of Darrell's MRI (6 p.m.).

Great tentative news:  Darrell's tumor site hasn't changed much from January's scan, and no new spots show up as troublesome to the radiologist.  Big sighs of relief here.

Dr. Cloughesy at UCLA gives the final word Monday morning.

Darrell sailed through the scan this morning without a single cough.  He celebrated the procedure at...

...you guessed it...Panera with a tuna sandwich.  Maybe we'll go back tomorrow for another round of celebrating.

Thanks, Team D.

Making it through Monday

Brain cancer is...

...making it through Monday.

Today was the typical pre-scan Monday:  Kind of tough.  It felt like the early pre-diagnosis days:  Just keep moving until it's okay to stop.  Nothing bad happened, but in our house, we say, "It doesn't have to be rational to be real." 

Darrell is still wrestling with his cold some.  He continues to be actively fighting it, and we think he'll be okay for tomorrow morning's MRI.

These babies made us smile.

So did texts from you.  We appreciate you.  We hope you had something to smile about today too, Loved Ones.

Punching Our Adventure Cards

Brain cancer is...

...adventuring. 

We punched our adventure cards several times in the past 24 hours.  For our final adventure, Beth and Geoff invited us on a trek on the Santa Rosa Plateau to see the vernal ponds before lunch.

We are taking so many actual photos--and even more mental photos--of this beautiful season before spring gives way to summer.  We bet you are too.

Happy Adventuring, Team D!