Five Years of Survival
Five years ago this month, my life changed forever when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Since that time, I have chronicled my journey back to health with a series of messages, of which this is the latest. At first, when things were changing rapidly, they were much more frequent. As I improved and the need for MRI tests stretched out to every six months, so did these updates. Today I am blessed to be able to share with you the results of yesterday's MRI…a clean bill of health! At five years out, this represents a significant milestone, and an occasion for me to express my gratitude to all who have helped me achieve it: the doctors at UCSF, my Chi Gung teacher Don Rubbo, Michael Broffman of the Pine Street Clinic, cranial sacral therapists Ramona Sierra and Maureen O'Neil, the musicians who helped me record my CD (Joe Paulino, Anne Zesiger, Michael Woods, John Gomes, and Paul Lamb) my mother's prayer circle in Fort Collins, Colorado (as well as the countless friends and relatives whose prayers undoubtedly helped) and most of all, to my life partner and sweetheart Ellen. Her unwavering love, faith and strength pulled me through the darkest of times, and continue to make my life the wonderful thing that it is. Thank you all so very much.
A lot has happened in the last six months. Ellen has had a couple of gallery showings of her photography, and business has picked up considerably compared to the past few years, with several new clients. The startup I have been working with continues to develop, with funding hoped for by the end of this year. We hosted several parties this summer featuring performances by my band, The Vanilla Extract, who is also scheduled to perform at Ellen's upcoming gallery opening at California Closets in San Rafael September 6, which features four “travel collages” incorporating Ellen's photos, my sketches and hand-written journal entries.
In July, Ellen and I took an amazing trip to Costa Rica, where for eight days we toured much of the country with a tour group (not something we would normally do, but it turned out to be fun and informative as we had a terrific tour guide). We stayed in some cool places, and took in a lot of wildlife, breathtaking rural countryside, picturesque towns, and a wonderful thermal hot springs resort next to an imposing volcano. The highlight of our trip was a zip line canopy tour… strapped into a harness and suspended by a pulley from a series of cables connecting elevated platforms, we flew through the top of a cloud forest at heart-pounding speed. We returned with fond memories and a couple pounds of really great organic coffee.
This week, Miles began a new life for himself at Cuesta Community College in San Luis Obispo. After securing a room in a house on a visit several weeks ago, we drove down with him over the weekend, with several pieces of Ikea furniture in boxes and all of his necessities, and set him up for the school year. A friend from high school will be staying with him for a month, and another friend lives nearby, so he has a couple of familiar faces to help him make the transition. He's very excited to be living away from home, and we expect this year to be one of tremendous growth and blossoming for him. Eventually, he plans to transfer to Cal Poly and pursue a career in computer science. Tyler is taking classes at College of Marin as we encourage him to start thinking about his future as well.
When I think back to five years ago, I realize what a gift these years have been to me. I am filled with gratitude that I am here typing this in August 2007, four and a half years after the doctor who diagnosed me initially gave me to live. I am truly fortunate to be able to witness my children heading off to college, and to be able to share the wealth of experiences both large and small that each day affords me. I have learned what the power of love and faith can accomplish. And I have every expectation of being here to update you all for many years to come.
Thank you for accompanying me on this journey, and may your own journeys bring you blessings and good fortune.
Peace and love,
Dan
Five years ago this month, my life changed forever when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Since that time, I have chronicled my journey back to health with a series of messages, of which this is the latest. At first, when things were changing rapidly, they were much more frequent. As I improved and the need for MRI tests stretched out to every six months, so did these updates. Today I am blessed to be able to share with you the results of yesterday's MRI…a clean bill of health! At five years out, this represents a significant milestone, and an occasion for me to express my gratitude to all who have helped me achieve it: the doctors at UCSF, my Chi Gung teacher Don Rubbo, Michael Broffman of the Pine Street Clinic, cranial sacral therapists Ramona Sierra and Maureen O'Neil, the musicians who helped me record my CD (Joe Paulino, Anne Zesiger, Michael Woods, John Gomes, and Paul Lamb) my mother's prayer circle in Fort Collins, Colorado (as well as the countless friends and relatives whose prayers undoubtedly helped) and most of all, to my life partner and sweetheart Ellen. Her unwavering love, faith and strength pulled me through the darkest of times, and continue to make my life the wonderful thing that it is. Thank you all so very much.
A lot has happened in the last six months. Ellen has had a couple of gallery showings of her photography, and business has picked up considerably compared to the past few years, with several new clients. The startup I have been working with continues to develop, with funding hoped for by the end of this year. We hosted several parties this summer featuring performances by my band, The Vanilla Extract, who is also scheduled to perform at Ellen's upcoming gallery opening at California Closets in San Rafael September 6, which features four “travel collages” incorporating Ellen's photos, my sketches and hand-written journal entries.
In July, Ellen and I took an amazing trip to Costa Rica, where for eight days we toured much of the country with a tour group (not something we would normally do, but it turned out to be fun and informative as we had a terrific tour guide). We stayed in some cool places, and took in a lot of wildlife, breathtaking rural countryside, picturesque towns, and a wonderful thermal hot springs resort next to an imposing volcano. The highlight of our trip was a zip line canopy tour… strapped into a harness and suspended by a pulley from a series of cables connecting elevated platforms, we flew through the top of a cloud forest at heart-pounding speed. We returned with fond memories and a couple pounds of really great organic coffee.
This week, Miles began a new life for himself at Cuesta Community College in San Luis Obispo. After securing a room in a house on a visit several weeks ago, we drove down with him over the weekend, with several pieces of Ikea furniture in boxes and all of his necessities, and set him up for the school year. A friend from high school will be staying with him for a month, and another friend lives nearby, so he has a couple of familiar faces to help him make the transition. He's very excited to be living away from home, and we expect this year to be one of tremendous growth and blossoming for him. Eventually, he plans to transfer to Cal Poly and pursue a career in computer science. Tyler is taking classes at College of Marin as we encourage him to start thinking about his future as well.
When I think back to five years ago, I realize what a gift these years have been to me. I am filled with gratitude that I am here typing this in August 2007, four and a half years after the doctor who diagnosed me initially gave me to live. I am truly fortunate to be able to witness my children heading off to college, and to be able to share the wealth of experiences both large and small that each day affords me. I have learned what the power of love and faith can accomplish. And I have every expectation of being here to update you all for many years to come.
Thank you for accompanying me on this journey, and may your own journeys bring you blessings and good fortune.
Peace and love,
Dan
Labels: Brain tumor, Costa Rica, MRI, survival
posted by dan reich at
2:47 PM
2 Comments
