Brain Cancer: Three Years Post-Surgery

It’s April 1, 2024. Today marks exactly three years since my craniotomy at Duke Cancer Center in North Carolina. The world has changed so much in these three years, and so have I.  For now, I have more or less settled into the ‘watch and wait’ period of living with brain cancer. Treatment is behind me. While I still take daily medication and have regular brain scans at UCSF, I’m in a much different mindset that I was last year or the year prior. 

Cancer changes you. It changes you physically, mentally, and emotionally. It touches and changes the lives of your loved ones. I’ve adapted, I’ve grieved, I’ve dreamed, I’ve grown more resilient. I’ve given up some of my previous ambitions, but importantly, have found other ones. I have found whole new networks of individuals who support me and support others affected by cancer. I’ve seen so much love over these three years.

I remain extremely grateful to Dr. Alan Friedman at Duke, to my neuro-oncologist Dr. Jennie Taylor at UCSF, and to their teams at both institutions. I am so grateful for Tari and team at Yoga4Cancer, to Kathleen at Magnolia House, to my friend and ABTA champion Wendy, and to Brock and team at OligoNation. I am so grateful to my family members and friends who have been by my side these past three years.

I wholeheartedly support the efforts of organizations such as Oligo Nation, the American Brain Tumor Association, National Brain Tumor Society, and others who advocate and raise funds for research to find more effective treatments for brain tumors. There is still a long, long way to go. 

Looking back at what I wrote at the one year mark, these words still ring very true:

I want people to know that it’s OK to ask questions to people with cancer. The more we demystify and destigmatize cancer, the more room we allow individuals with cancer to live honest and open lives, to reach out for help when needed, and to feel comfortable speaking up to share resources and experiences with others. It’s also OK to ask people with cancer about other areas of their lives. An individual with cancer is first an individual, just like anyone else. If you’re reading this and are wondering more about my cancer experience, please feel free to get in touch – I welcome dialogue and learn from it too!

For today, I celebrate and give thanks for making it three years. I hope and pray that I will have many such healthy anniversaries ahead. I wish wellbeing to others on this path, and thanks and gratitude to all those who support us. 

Photo: 3 YEARS written by stick in the sand, Marina Bay, California