Living with brain cancer
Introduction: Living with brain cancer I always told people it was a matter of "When" not "If" my tumor would start growing again. It was one of the few certainties in a journey of uncertainty. During my recurrence in 2014, my tumor extended into the motor strip making a complete resection impossible. I had to …
Continue reading "When the can doesn’t land as far as you hoped – another recurrence"
I know it has been a while since my last post, but I wanted to take a moment to honor and remember my friend Carolyn. Carolyn and I met when I first started my treatment at Dana Farber. I remember being incredibly nervous going into my first young adult support group session. I was still …
Two years ago today, I started my first day of chemotherapy. This morning at Dana Farber, I received news that my most recent MRI is stable, and I can now extend my scans to every 4-6 months! While the exam room for my visit was the same, it was surreal to think how much has …
Whenever I have trouble falling asleep, I focus in to that day on the river. Sitting in my kayak, I paddled as slow as possible, hoping that this moment would never end. I took every second I could to soak in the beauty around me: The tranquil flow of the Snake River, the ascending dry …
On November 5th, 2014, I left Indonesia for what was supposed to be a 3-week Thanksgiving vacation. As most of you know, this vacation turned into a rollercoaster of treatments and recovery for my recurrent brain tumor. Now, two years later, I write this on November 5th, 2016 during my first night in Sukadana, Kalimantan …
It is no understatement to say that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) helped save my life. Since I was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of 12, I have been an insurance liability. Living with cancer for more than half my life, I clearly fall into the category of someone with a “pre-existing condition.” …
Continue reading "ACT NOW – Support the Affordable Care Act"
Over 300 stories. 300 unique experiences. Patients, survivors, family, friends...everyone in some way had a connection to the devastation caused by brain tumors. To sit in a room with these 300 people was humbling because they represented a web of countless others whose lives have been impacted by a brain tumor. Last week, I was in …
Continue reading "Who I ride for…Please Support the 2016 Boston Brain Tumor Ride"
Click HERE to join my team for the 2016 Boston Brain Tumor Ride! Yesterday I went to Dana Farber for my latest MRI scan. During the weeks leading up to the scan I was incredibly nervous. I have spent the past 3 months studying for the MCAT and preparing to apply for medical school. I …
Continue reading "Why I Ride…Please join and support the 2016 Boston Brain Tumor Ride!"
Today marks a year since I started writing this blog. I made this blog with the intention of keeping everyone informed about my situation and hopefully give some insight into what it is like to go through this journey. While I haven't kept up with writing as much as I hoped, I am happy I …
Continue reading "Done with treatment, MRI is “stable”… so what’s next?"
This week I finished my last round of chemotherapy for a recurrent, inoperable brain tumor. It has been exactly a year since my doctor told me my cancer is back. I have been trying to reflect on this past year, searching for the right words to encapsulate my experience. What I keep coming back to …
Continue reading "A Year Post-Diagnosis: Reflecting on privilege, equity, and our common humanity"
