Great news from Duke!

Sorry about the delay. It is a bit tricky to get on to Blogger these days.

We had a great visit to Duke! We took the kids and our friend Sara (one of our greatest helpers) was able to drive us.

First of all, whatever I am doing with the tumor is working. First of all, it was fascinating to see images of my brain. Secondly, the tumor has shrunk significantly, to the point where the midline of my brain is no longer distorted. They were hesitant to put me on any clinical trials because they simply ran out of slots for one of them. Dr. Patel, my radiation oncologist at State College, will be helping me implement the Optune device, which is basically an electronic beanie that goes on your head. Since I have a wife that's anal, and a great hairstylist (Tara Clark Waltz, another helper), I should be in good shape and will do my best to suck it up. Jaci also messaged Duke My Chart, which messages my doctors and caregivers, to other treatments that are being offered in New York, Cleveland and London. Kudos again to Dr. Julian for performing a surgery that truly saved my life. Frankly, despite some occasional lapses of judgement, I am walking and talking. It is a privilege to wake up every morning, and I plan to live a long life. It's amazing what the power of faith and a sense of humor can do for you.

Also, we brought the kids along to see a child education specialist. They blew bubbles into water with dish detergent. They simulated surgery by scooping out the bubbles. They simulated chemo by popping the bubbles. They then zapped the bubbles like an Optune device would. They also looked at some MRI images and some models of a CT scan machine and an MRI. They really seemed to understand what my cancer is, and what we are doing to stop it.

We return in September, and we plan to live it up a little bit more since it is our anniversary. Hopefully, we will keep with our tradition and have dinner at the Melting Pot Restaurant.