Recovering and wants to get out and play!!

Hey everyone,
Just  a quick update from the home front.  Stu started feeling the effects of the clinical drugs after we got home.  He is dealing with tons of inflamation, which the doctors at Providence/St. John's Medical Center are very happy about.  They feel the inflamation is Stu's body fighting, which creates a really hostile environment for the tumor cells (we want this!!).

As I'm sure you can imagine the inflamation causes some temporary side effects and for Stu the side effects are loss of language, since the tumor is in the language part of his lovely brain.  Stu is being really patient with us and with himself as he struggles with what to say.  He spends a lot of time each day working on regaining his speech, and our girls and I see the improvement.  He also likes to do Luminosity to keep his brain engaged... you should see his scores!!

These are temporary side effects and should start to subside around the two month mark, which puts us around the end of January.  To keep ourselves busy, we are going for walks, visiting with friends and family, playing games and enjoying time with our girls.  We are looking forward to a family trip to the Galapagos with Stu's mom.  We will post some pictures here, when we return.

Stu would love to have friends visit, go for a walk, go out to a movie, watch football.  Just send him a text if you are up for some fun.

We are wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and we are looking forward to catching up with you all in the New Year if we don't see you over the next few weeks.

Sandi (and Stu)

The Wonders of Modern Medicine

Sandi here, updating for Stu.  Today I walked over from our rental apartment just 2 blocks away from the hospital in torrential rains with my summer sneakers on (sigh).  The storm had arrived in full force!  That storm made me think of the medicine flowing into all of the bad areas of Stu's beautiful brain.  I wondered what he would be feeling like as the final drips of the drug were finishing their journey and beginning their own storm.

I walked like a wet dog to find Stu cheerful, sassy as ever and full of energy! YAY!! He looks great, he had to do the mandatory brain surgery clearances for OT and Speech to leave the ICU, where they had to monitor him during the 24 hours of the infusion.  He rocked the tests, as we knew he would!  You'd hardly be able to tell that Stu had a THIRD brain surgery, as he is simply doing great.

I keep taking pause to think about all he has done to personally fight this.  He is really, truly such a strong, driven and humble person.  I'm so thankful for his drive, his fight.  Ok, I know... I loved him already, but really he is so inspiring!

The hospital staff and our doctors have been so wonderful, so positive and so in line with Stu's style of fighting this.  We are so well cared for and we feel so positive and assured in the care Stu is receiving.

We have been getting some great support from the Southern California collection of Team Stu too.    Ljupco came to visit today, Dana and Aunt Eileen, Cousin Katie and Leland are coming tomorrow, then we are joining Ljupco and family for dinner!!  (Cousin Katie wasn't going to let Cousin Jake show her up with 2 days of visits -- so she's brought for the nurses  yummy desserts from Lemon Poppy Kitchen ).

We CLEARLY need to get down to the LA area more often.  Fortunately for us, it will be in the plans with this clinical trial and we look forward to seeing you all in the future.

We won't actually know too much about how this is working until after the holidays when the inflamation wears down, and we might not no much by then either.  We are hoping for a miracle of course and your mindfulness, prayers and positivity will help.

You can text Stu, or email or leave a message on the blog.  He is doing really well and handled this very well.

Thank you for caring.  It means so much to not be doing this alone.  Your texts, emails, comments and visits are so amazing.
All the best to you and yours!
Sandi (and Stu)

Surgery went fine

4 hour surgery only went for 2 hours!  Trying to repurpose Stella's saying that she used after her resetting of the arm procedure, as the anesthesia from my surgery wore off, I yelled "I'm back, bitches".  It wasn't as funny as when Stella used it, but Sandi got the idea that I was in good shape and in good spirits!

Getting the cousin contest going, LA Cousin Jake is back in my room (we had dinner with him last night).  Sure, we are eating food and watching movies, but what the hell -- Cousin Compete.  Ha!!!

All good.  Moving to a lower intense room tomorrow afternoon.

Stu

Looking good for 11/28 surgery

Did some pre-Op at the hospital today, and then got to play.  Sandi and I had a romantic sunset smooch (luckily, with Los Angeles friend/neighbor right there as the cameraman).  The sunset is actually much brighter than the picture shows.  Then, Cousin Jake, Leland, Sandi, and I had a Taco dinner and pie (the pie below wasn't eaten but rather just bc Jaida would like Cereal w/ Pie).  It was a perfect setup for my 7am surgery tomorrow. 

The staff at Providence John Wayne in Santa Monica is super confident and friendly -- they instill a bunch of trust.

Sandi can publish more after I get released in the afternoon. 

Off to bed for the early wake up!
stu

Surgery is 11/28 in Santa Monica

Rain cleared out the smoke.  And, that seemed to get everyone on board that they can confirm my surgery for 11/28.  I'm doing the surgery and clinical trial in Santa Monica -- not ideal with the family up north, but we're all up for trying something "systemic" to attack the tumor (and sleeper cells) with this clinical trial.  (Many of you forwarded me info about the polio trial -- it's similar to that).

My schedule will depend on how I feel after surgery.  We're hoping the body will fight back -- we're hoping for "controlled" inflammation which says that the body is targeting tumor cells and fighting back.  But, too much inflammation can lead to risks.

For now, we're getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with the extended family.  And then, we're going to go down to a Dude Ranch and check that out!  Stella probably can't ride horses bc of her broken forearm, but we'll find fun things to do.  Stella wants to catch a fish 1-handed.  Jaida, I predict, will gravitate to a horse, be smitten, and ride all the time  -- so we'll be lucky to see her all trip.

More soon,
Happy Thanksgiving,
stu, sandi, stella, and jaida

Waiting -- still exploring options

Just wanted to send a quick note that I didn't go into UCSF surgery today.  I'm still evaluating clinical trial options, and will hopefully be "accepted" by the pharmaceutical sponsors shortly.  Certainly, not great being in "waiting" mode, but am looking forward to a favorable decision (hopefully today).  Once I know more and have dates of my next steps, I'll do another blog post.

Interesting new options are presenting themselves

So, to catch everyone up, we've been having fun with family, friends, and work over the last 3+ months of treatments -- health-wise, I've only been doing the 5-days chemo every month and clinical infusion.  All seemed to be going well, and I went in recently for my ongoing 2-month MRI, and me/Sandi were kinda expecting a clean "bill of health" -- but alas,  the doctors found some growth that they weren't expecting.  So, we're now at:

• Let's get in there and see what the growth is:
• Just dead tumor cells (yay = continue what we're doing!)
• Just scar tissue and inflammation (yay = continue what we're doing!)
• New growth (boo!  But investigate some new clinical trials that may now be open to me)

So, the bummer in all cases is that it looks like I'll need surgery again in the next 1.5 weeks.  But, we caught whatever this is fairly early, so they are really optimistic that it looks very promising.  And, we'll know more about the cells soon to take proper action.

If, unfortunately, there is new growth, there is some good news -- there are some pretty impressive clinical trials that I may qualify for (Precision Medicine working with a DNA expert, Virus Vaccine, and other therapies).

I went up to talk to the surgeons and teams today.  They all say they can't see anything from the outside and their baselining of me -- which makes their tests look good ;)

More soon,

This spun us around a little bit, but we're doing well.  Thanks for your steadfast support, it remains the stilts that hold our house up!

stu, sandi, stella, and jaida

Decisions to be made soon

We've been having a great time with family and friends.  Golfing at Cygnus.  Golfing at Los Altos Country Club.  Halloween was great hanging out with cousins and friends.  Watching Stella do her cheerleading has been awesome (and she is trying out Wed for Competition Cheer -- which is potentially more dangerous than Sideline Cheer).  49ers.  Eagles.  Friends' 50th parties.

Today, was my 2 month check in for my MRI.  I've been feeling good, working, etc.  But alas, the results didn't come back as clearly as my MRI from September.  In short (who you calling short!!!), they saw something -- and it could be scar tissue (good) or could be re-growth (bad).  This is all happening real-time, and doctors are scanning the image -- and may have some recommendations on decisions that need to be made soon.

More soon,
xoxo,
stu

MRI is clean -- "As great as we were hoping"

Just wanted to post a quick note that my MRI was "clean" and the doctors said it was "as great as we were hoping".  Dr. Jennie Taylor (who normally is pretty stoic) gave me and Sandi big hugs.  All great stuff, as I'm moving into 6 months of "maintenance" mode (5 days/month of Chemo + some Clinical Trial stuff each week).

All is looking good as we continue on our normal routine -- kids in school, Stu easing back into work, mini-house rearrangements, watching Giants lose, etc.

More soon,
stu

Happy Rosh Hashanah (MRI is tomorrow)

Happy Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Years)!  Our family did our traditional sharing of apples and honey (Jaida ate all the honey), but we added some whipped cream for me.  Oh, and then the girls dipped into some mini-frozen ice creams, and who knows what else they devoured.  All is good for the joyous new year!

Last few weeks have been a blast:

• Thanks to Brother Ken for planning a Los Altos High crew and friends trip down to Pebble Beach.  A few of us were able to go kayaking (and saw otters and sea lions), golfed on Spanish Bay, played poker, watched CAL win, and didn't totally embarrass ourselves in beach volleyball.  Alan -- thanks for the round -- you really shouldn't have, but I'll make it up to you soon.
• Kudos to Steve-o and Betsy-boo for celebrating their 20th anniversary, and inviting me and Sandi-cakes to play with them on a hot air balloon ride, Segways through Napa, wine tasting, and Steve-o beating up on me in bocce ball.  What a special day!
• Giants games with Mike S and well as Fred, Chris, and Lewis (boy, they are losing some close (and not so close) ones).  But, lose or win, it's always a good time with friends
• Puppy-sitting with the O'Reilly's pug
• Sandi and the kids partying with the Mills High party gang
• Kids are happily back in school and playing with their friends (and hopefully studying a little bit)

MRI is tomorrow, and we'll see what we can see (hopefully nothing except some good brain).  And now, I'll be starting more "maintenance" treatments -- but hopefully not as rigorous as the first 6-weeks.

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Back to school, work, and the "routine"

The girls have had a great time starting school.  We went to Stella's first cheerleading gig at Los Altos High School's first football game.  Really fun, and a little hot after sitting outside for a Junior Varsity and half of a Varsity game.  (But, I wasn't the one doing splits 20 feet in the air).

I've been back at work for about a week, and it's been great.  The people I work with have been super supportive and I've been easing back in.  My clients seem genuinely happy to hear from me.  Very cool.

In the next couple weeks (9/11), I'll do my next MRI and see how productive the radiation + chemo + clinical trial was.  I'm feeling good in almost all facets, and really only have some loss of hair for the most part.  After the MRI, we'll figure out the next plan of action.  UCSF has me signed up for some elements with the clinical trial.

I've been having fun with lots of recent events:  golfing with Dave, Alex, and John; steak dinner with 3 bottles of wine (not for me!) with Fred, Riza, and Sandi; pool party hosted by Tony; road trip to LA to visit with my cousins Jake and Katie at their new Mermaid Bar; hooking up with my old CAL dorm friend Eric; lunch with Ljupco and seeing his mom selling their blankets at Palo Alto Art & Wine Festival; visiting with Uncle Paul from NJ/Israel; Giants game with Lewis, Chris, and Fred; Leland visiting and installing Alexa switches and partying with all of us; etc.

We're getting into the school and work routine now, and all is going well.  Always have time to play with y'all if you are around!

xoxox,
stu

6-week treatment is completed!!!

Super excited bc earlier this week, I completed the 6-week treatment program -- so no more radiation, chemotherapy, or my clinical trial infusion for the next month.  Thanks to all who helped drive up with me to UCSF -- it was great to catch up.  Wrt the effects of 6-weeks of treatment, I had a little hair loss, but didn't get many of other side effects that they were warning me about (nausea, fatigue, etc). I'll get my next MRI on 9/11, and then UCSF has some ideas of some other treatments to proceed with that we're evaluating.

The past month has been adventuresome.  While Sandi and the kids were in Maui, 11 of my college/work friends took me to Vegas.  I was a little skeptical about going to Vegas with only 1-drink in my system per day, but it was most excellent.  Ben, Alex, Mark, Peter, Ed L, Ed H, Ted, Austin, Erik, and Tony really went over the top with the cabana rental and other activities.  By the way, 49ers "over" is 8.5 games -- so they only need to win 9 games.

Kudos to Fred and Riza for taking Sandi and me out to Alexander's Steakhouse.  (Note to self:  when the waiter says "Happy Birthday" to me, even though my birthday was 1 month ago, just say "thank you" and accept his generosity).  And, thanks Jeff for the tix to the 49er game.  (Note to self:  Doh!  Don't leave the game in the 4th quarter even though you're down by 11 and just gave away the ball again).

Dan and Corinna came from Maui and San Diego for a quick visit.  Oh boy, do we appreciate the invite to the Ben and Serene meat-fest.

And, I had a special treat last week -- my cousins Stephanie and Jaime from the East Coast came to visit.  We had an extended family dinner at Opa, and continued to catch up and play for much of this week.

Leland is back in town for a couple days (and brought a Duartes ollalaberry pie).  The girls are getting ready for school -- that starts next week.  They are looking forward to seeing their friends.  Stella is going to be a freshman, and Jaida is in the 6th grade.  Wish me luck in keeping up with Stella's geometry for any questions that she may have.

Looking forward to playing with y'all during the next month.  I'm going back to work on 8/21, but nights/weekends are always good.
xoxo,
stu

Girls having fun in Maui; Stu bachelor week

Sandi, Jaida, and Stella (along with friend Jasmin, Kathy, Bob, Eli, and Lynda) are in Maui this week.  They are moving around a bit, but are now at the Grand Wailea.  I was supposed to go on this, but alas with my treatment, I couldn't go.  But, it availed me to:

Guys Bachelor Week ;)
High School Friends (Rob, Pete, Phil, Jeff, and friend DJ) and I took off last weekend for Lake Tahoe.  Pete braved the traffic and we relaxed in Belinda's cabin.  Highlights included dice, Gang of Four, boating (Jeff was our captain), and gliding (Pete and I had to squeeze into a very small seat).  And, Moe Gould (Pete) and Fla$h Ca$h (DJ) performed their first ever "D...heads Live" for us -- 27 years of creativity from a USC dorm room band and they were "here to rock".  Really great performance (for the 4 of us) -- and super excellent for a Bachelor Weekend.

Later this week, some of my CAL friends, friends through "Shopping Day"/Mardi Gras/Jazz Fest/college football/Giants/work/etc, are taking me to Vegas.  With my diet limited to 1 drink/night, this may be a different Vegas experience than my normal times out there -- but this group is a blast (and it may be nice to not be the "MVP" -- i.e. which of us gets the most crazy).

I'm doing a few minor chores, and frankly, watching a few movies that I needed to catch up on.

I only have 1 infusion left next week, and my treatment ends 8/14 before a 1 month break.  Minor side effects of hair loss started happening in the last few days, but no biggie.  No other side effects are manifesting themselves.

Thanks for all the ongoing thoughts and prayers, and for some of the locals driving me to UCSF and bringing over food.  All is good, and looking forward to finishing up for the time being on 8/14!
Stu

Onto the back-half of my treatment

Hard to believe that I'm already half-way through my initial "Standard of Care" treatment (radiation + chemo + a clinical trial).  So far, no side effects from the treatment and all is going well!

We've been having a ton of fun for the past few days:

• Stacy and Rich stayed with us for a weekend -- 3 months ago, they had just showed us all around Washington DC, so this time we got to host them for a day at Filoli, yummy Tiff/Dave bbq and wine tasting, Giants game, etc.
• My buddy Ljupco from CAL came into town from LA and we had a great time hanging out -- and going with Fred to lunch at San Wang, Giants game, etc.
• We got our new car!  Totally loving it.
• Played some more racquetball.  I had Mike Smith 10-0 (because he gave me a 10-point head start).  Ended up losing 15-10, but still a good time ;)
• Mike VH from high school came to visit, and he was very relaxed by Ken's massage chair
• Rides and great catch up to UCSF with Rob, Aaron, Alex, Brett, and others.  Brett really knows the city, and he took me to Mr. Holmes Bakehouse so that we could buy a Cruffin (croissant/muffin stuffed with chocolate mousse) for Jaida -- I got a picture!
• Special kudos to Alison and Rob for making some meals for us (and Rob's super-special SF tour)
• Steve-o hosted us for an As/Giants game and fireworks in Oakland.  Kudos to Steve S for driving through the 880 mess, and Ashby providing his normal levity ("where is that AUX port")
• Awesome seeing Julia and David's newly remodeled house and catching up over steak, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts dinner. 
• Happy Hallow with nieces Everly and Eden
• Going to an Improv comedy show in SJ with the B-ball friends -- man, SJ is hopping on Sat night!

Later this week, Sandi and the girls are taking off on a previously planned trip to Maui.  Bummer I can't go with my treatments, but oh boy -- some of the boys are planning some weekend fun for me!  (I keep telling them that I'm limited to 1 drink per night -- and for some reason, they keep sending me a 40 ounce glass with Crown Royal strapped to the side.  Oh boy!)

And, this week, Jaida is doing some room renovations -- so some bed disassembly and new installation.  (In truth, her existing bed IMHO was the most comfortable, but alas -- it seems that a twin bed is no longer efficient).

xoxo,

stu

Driving with Stu

Hey there,
Sandi here!  I thought it might be fun to have some friends drive with Stu and spend some time with him (sort of like "Car Talk" or "Karaoke Car Riding") .  I have a schedule of drives below that you can sign up to help with, if you're free and up for doing that.

It's about a 2 1/2 hour commitment.  Pick Stu up at the time stated on the google sheet, drop him of for a quick 20 minute treatment and then drive back.  Alternatively you could schedule something fun to do with him around SF after the treatment.  I think Stu is up for lunch, a trip to the zoo, the beach, a walk thru Golden Gate park, Filoli (we have a membership now) or whatever...
Just schedule it with Stu and sign up on the google spreadsheet.

Please sign up here if you'd like:

Driving with Stu

Driving with Stu Driving with Stu Time to pick up Stu, Driver, Phone#/ Email:,* Extra Activity( organize with Stu directly),* Y...

The girls and I are out of town July 26th through Aug 6th if you want to schedule some time to go out , bring a meal for just Stu, hang out at our house with Stu, walk Buddy, get in a workout...

Hope that this will bring some fun times for you and Stu!
Sandi

Happy Birthday to twin brother Ken!!!

7/9 (Post by Stu):  Yep, best start to the birthday.  Just finished my quick treatments for today.  Now,  the family and Leland are going to Duartes in Pescadero for Olallieberry Pie and Artichoke soup.

Some other birthday week stuff going on:
*  All week:  Exercise -- Leland has been taking me to the Elks for racquetball.  I had to rip off the sole of my shoes bc he got ahead of me and I had to claim a uniform malfunction.
*  Wednesday @ 1pm:  Stu and Leland are buying semi-cheap day game Giants tickets (anyone is welcome to join us)
*  Weekend:  partying locally -- friends coming in town from Maryland and LA

Thanks to all who can pre-celebrated my birthday with me.  Thanks so much to Saori O'Reilly and the Ten-ichi crew for a great night and surprise with the Cal Band theme.  And, good times at Santa Cruz beach boardwalk to play with the Dorns, Ken Elefant's family, and Sharon.

Special thanks to brother Ken for the birthday massage chair -- it's especially needed for Leland when I beat him in racquetball.

Treatments are all going well.  No side effects.  And, fun drives up to UCSF.

7/3 - Sandi here - Day 1 of treatment done!  Thanks for all the prayers, texts, comments, mindfulness and love!!  Stu is doing great after today.  It was a long day of shifting from one hospital room to another, but the people who we have dealt with are pretty awesome.   Thanks to Uncle Leland for holding down the fort at home this past week!  Our girls are having so much fun with him here!!  (Us too!!).  Thanks to Grandma Nat for popping in with her famous brisket and fresh veggies, for walking Buddy, for taking Jaida to school... and that was just the help we had this week!!

Thanks Ken & Stephanie for the amazing massage chair!! We absolutely love it!! It is SO relaxing!!

Activity:
We were thinking that it would be fun to do some R & R at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on Sunday 7/8 at 12:30pm on the beach.  Whole family fun!!  Bring the kids and play around on the beach, bring a picnic or pick up lunch at the boardwalk. Just come if you can, no need to RSVP.  We plan to be there all day and we'd love to hang out with friends!!  We will try to be on the beach parallel to the Haunted House.  Look for a small yellow tent, text me or Stu if you cannot find us.

PS - It's Stu and Ken's Birthday weekend, so feel free to sing them Happy Birthday when you see them :)  The best gift they could ask for is your presence!! No other gifts required!!

Intense, 1+ Month -- ready for attack on 7/3!!!

Wow!  Friends/family really came together over the last 1 Month or so -- helping with food, kids, activities, levity, and research.

I'll tell you -- the research was/is a bitch.  There is no "right" answer.  Everyone responds differently to treatment, and yet it's incumbent upon me to make some pretty important decisions.  The family all pulled in the same direction, got a ton of options on the table to weigh through, and we're good to go with the 7/3 start at UCSF for a 6 week intense treatment followed by other treatments.  Sure, doctors normally expect some side affects like nausea, fatigue, and other items -- but we'll kick butt over it.  And, it'll be great to have a lot of you locals close by to let out some steam and have a blast

2 of my wild and crazy and super-smart East Coast cousins said to me early on "This is your personal ride".  They both came up with the phrase independently -- really!  It took me a while to figure out what they were telling me, but I think I figured it out.  There are so many decisions that need to be made relatively quickly -- with relatively little real data.  Some of you may make decisions differently than what I did.  That's OK -- we're both right ;)  I really appreciate all the conversations, comments, and stories -- and they certainly do factor into my decisions.

On the family side, we've been able to escape for a couple days to Monterey, and saw some dolphins, otters, sea lions, and s'mores.  And, this week, my buddy Leland (friend from CAL who spoke at our wedding) is coming up for some fun from Australia/Los Angeles.  Brother Ken helped order a massage chair for you to sit in when I babble your ears off -- and it should be in soon.  The trampoline is gone and we're getting ready to do a little backyard landscaping.  And, we have a new car on order!  All super exciting stuff!  The kids are continuing their summer fun of Cheerleading camp, hanging with school friends, swimming, camping with Uncle Ken, etc.

Recovering well -- trying to get treatments started

(6/20 from Stu):  All continuing to progress well on recovery.  Great meeting yesterday with treatment doctor who gave us a ton of confidence.  And, I never had to use my short-term readers much before, but now I need them more -- he said it was normal as I was coming off some medication and should correct itself.  Nice!

I'm feeling good enough that I'm asking the doctors why we need to wait so long for treatments -- so I'm trying to push it ahead, but continue to run into no one being able to move it forward (even though I'm pushing other appointments up).  We'll keep pushing.  IMHO, it may be Bristol-Myers who is the company behind the clinical trial.  My point is that the surgery went well -- now let's build on that right away and not wait! 
We continue to look at optional clinical trials, which might mean a chance in hospital if UCSF doesn't get things going sooner, and we find a more interesting trial to participate in.

In any case I'm having a great time at home!  I love that so many of you have come by to visit, as it makes things far more interesting for me! This next week, we are hoping to get to:

• Throw out the trampoline and do general yard clean-up
• Plan out some backyard improvements -- thanks Suzanne!
• Doing lunches, teas, and even a little wine
• Planning a local vacation
• Planning out a new car -- thanks Phil Chou (as well as the consulting help from Paul, Matt, etc)!
• Thinking of other fun ways to spend good times together.  (My doctor says that I'll be a little tired during treatments, but stuff before and during treatments include:
• Alameda pinball museum
• Driving fun cars near the beach
• Fishing
• Hiking
• What else??

Done with 2 surgeries, and now onto treatment

(6/13, from Stu):  Recovering from the surgeries nicely and now just waiting to start the treatment plan.  Even though I'm feeling good, they want me to continue to recover some more (and prepare whatever they need to prepare) -- and then they are going to blast the pie out of me (radiation, chemo, maybe an experimental program) of what couldn't get removed from the surgery through the middle of August.  (The pituitary isn't our focus -- we're focusing on the glioblastoma).

Everyone has been so supportive throughout this process.  Thank you.  I'll try to get some Thank You notes out this week (Jaida has already started!) (Side note from Sandi: As Jaida and I set about writing down the names of those who have helped us over the last few weeks, we found our list to be longer than there were days since this all occurred! Wow!!  We are so lifted up by you all.  Thank you!! Back to Stu now....)

With the wait for the treatment to start, I have some time on my hands -- so gimme a call if you want to hang, go play, etc.  I'm up for pretty much anything, but am thinking about sticking with this:

• I get to drive -- I actually may get a new car since the BMW won't pass smog in a couple months
• I won't drink -- it's actually pretty darn hilarious watching y'all drink
• Good food
• Lots of exercise -- but no biking
• Entertaining movies -- now that they took the pituitary tumor out, I'm not the worst Elefant tearing up during Disney
• Crazy fun -- I'm definitely open to suggestions.  Sandi and I are doing at least 1 thing a day (and others are welcome too!):
• Filoli
• Cantors Museum
• Hakone
• Car driving
• Indoor skydiving
• Beach day
• Fishing
• Hiking with Buddy
• No real working -- I feel fine, but the doctor suggests that I don't work for a while until after my summer treatment.  ESG has been awesome. (Note from Sandi again - ESG crew has been SO AMAZING!! Thank you for the notes, the donuts, the little texts and calls!!)

Awesome to spend Thursday for Stella’s graduation lunch.  A little bummed that I couldn’t attend Jaida’s and Stella’s dance recital, but maybe they’ll give me my own version at home ;)

Today, I get checked out from UCSF.  And then, continue with what comes next.  Right now, just enjoying the beautiful day and relaxing.  Certainly, with all of your thoughts and prayers, I’ll power through nuances that come up.  Looking forward to spending time together, re-counting old and new stories together, and looking forward.  

Very fun to watch the Warriors wrap it up last night. 

(From Stu, 6am 6/8):  checking in for my 2nd procedure.

Yesterday was great - I got to go to lunch for Stella’s graduation lunch (missed the ceremony though), Went shopping with Jaida, and watched a family movie.  (I thought I’d be stuck at UCSF, but they let me go after a little while).

Today should go well. I’m out this time, so not much for me to do except think about my smiling family, pretty flowers, Fred’s Screaming Eagle, etc.  I should wake up about 3pm, and will recover Friday night and Saturday.  Should be celebrating the Warriors win then and will party with you.

Unfortunately, no lab tests yet. I suspect that they are waiting until I have this other surgery done, get it’s analysis, and combine it with the frontal lobe from last week.  It’s a little frustrating, but I guess I get it. FWIW, I won’t be posting my lab analysts, but I thank you all for your prayers.

Incredible Sports Day

(From Stu on 6/6/18):  What an incredible day.  Alex Roosakos and Keith Harris met me at the Giants day-game, and we saw amazing baseball.  Pablo Sandoval (SF-Boston-SF) hit a home run at the beginning.  SF was down 2, but came back in the Bottom-of-the-Ninth with 2-out and tied it up.  (Note:  My buddy Matt Berry used to have a video game system on baseball in college, and we all got so good, no one could score.  But, when one of us had an exam, we would let the other guy hit it out of the park with 2-out in the Bottom-of-the-Ninth -- letting us go to confidently off to the exam).  And then, the Giants win (with Sandi's favorite player -- at least from the back side).  Simply incredible.

And now, the Warriors win game #3.  Love it.

Tomorrow is "procedure" day, and then the next day is the surgery.  Apparently, I may not stay up at UCSF tomorrow, so I don't think we need much company.  Stella graduates tomorrow, which is awesome and I'll get to see video.  Friday is surgery -- so just recuperating time after that.  And, I think I'll be released to Los Altos on Saturday.  Let's just keep in touch and touch base in Los Altos.