Living with brain cancer
Little White Dot (3/3/23) On January 31st, I had an MRI that revealed what looked like a little white dot. This spot was seen on scans used with contrast, meaning something was going on there that involved blood. The worst-case scenario was that this spot was an area of “enhancing tumor,” or tumor recruiting my …
A brief reflection on my current energy level and the tug and pull between logic and emotions
Transitions I just took my first sip of a latte at one of my favorite cafes in Brookline. My first coffee shop trip since surgery! Coffee shops, with their ambient noise (and of course endless array of pastries and coffee), are my favorite places to write. And if you have put one and two together, …
Before I start this post, I want to say thank you for all the kind words. Please know I have read every comment and text, even if I haven't had the capacity to respond. I hope we can connect following my surgery. For over a month I have been practicing how to brush my teeth, …
Continue reading "Some good news before surgery (and ways to help)"
It was over a year ago when I wrote my last post to commemorate my 30th birthday. In that blog on August 21st, 2021, I mentioned a possible recurrence. A small spot appearing on the MRI scans that could have been either tumor or scar tissue. And then I left you hanging… I’m sorry about …
I never thought I would make it to my 30th birthday, but here I am! I don’t mean for this to be a grandiose statement, it’s simply fact. Over the past 18 years since I was diagnosed at the age of 12, I have gone through my first diagnosis followed by surgery, months in the …
Continue reading "On Turning 30 Years Old: Living a life guided by my values"
As the new decade begins, I've reflected more on the meaning of courage as I embark on an enormous transition in my life.
Note: Anything I share in posts related to my treatment are my own personal experience. It does not reflect what may happen to someone else, or what others should do. More so, I share these posts as a glimpse into my experience living with brain cancer. Hopefully there are parts of my story that resonate, areas …
Continue reading "Rough Seas: Confronting the “experimental” aspects of experimental treatment"
In my last treatment post, Uncharted Waters: waiting for a treatment plan, I outlined three treatment options: Plan A: IDH2 Inhibitor Plan A-: Immunotherapy Plan B: Reirradiation and CCNU chemotherapy Over the past few weeks we have been waiting for two factors to determine which treatment plan I could do: insurance coverage and my genetic test …
Continue reading "Plan A (IDH2 Inhibitor) is a go: Precision Medicine and Privilege"
In my last post, Sailing New Seas: My Biopsy Results and The Need For a Cure, I recounted my experience receiving news that my tumor has evolved to a grade III anaplastic oligodendroglioma. Given this news, the path of treatment is uncertain. UCSF's tumor board had one recommendation while my doctors in Boston had an alternative view. Each opinion is equally reasonable. The difference lies in the fact that I am now in uncharted waters. There's no map navigating me to my destination. In fact, no one truly knows where we're heading. All I know after receiving my results was I needed to find a captain for my ship, so I headed back to Boston to see Yoda.
Jeremy's Journey 