Sandy Beardsley
Living with a Brain Tumor
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10/20/05
Day One
Filed under: General
Posted by: Dan @ 11:35 pm

We arrived in Palo Alto yesterday. Survived the flight from Seattle to San Jose — Sandy hates flying, I mean really hates flying. Also survived a near-miss broadsiding in our rental car by a pickup truck, just 3 minutes out of the airport parking lot. Now that would have been a seriously bad ironic deja-vu way to go (I later put one of my "See Bicycles" bumperstickers on the rental car for good luck). Luckily the hotel we stayed at last night was a peaceful quiet green oasis in this very sprawling urban place. We were both rattled and dazed from the long day of traveling… holding each other… tears in the night.
Today we drove the short (but long) trip to Stanford Medical Center — a surprisingly large, beautiful and peaceful setting with low buildings, parklike grounds, fountains, etc. We felt good energy and healing here right away.  We met Sandy’s surgeon for the first time (we had both talked to him on the phone last week). Dr. Chang is a very confidence-inspiring man, to say the least. And not in a brash egotistical way… but a peaceful way. He explained everything step by step, and clearly. And answered all our questions directly. We both immediately loved the guy (though that had already happened on the phone). He is confident that the new active tumor area can be removed with minimal risk. Though of course no guarantees that it won’t recur elsewhere nearby, given the type of tumor that it is. And that’s where the chemotherapy treatments will come into play. [He drew Sandy’s brain and the tumor location on the tissue paper covering the exam table, which we tore off and saved and had a good laugh about later] … More on what he said tomorrow or the next day, it’s getting late…
We then met with Daphne - a great nurse administrator - at the surgical admitting office. She also explained how the surgery day on Monday would go, step by step. She also gave us confidence with her knowledge, warmth and sense of humor. Then a meeting with the director of anasthesiology, and learned how Sandy will be put under, and brought back afterward, for the surgery. Tomorrow we meet with the Oncology staff to talk about possible chemo treaments. But they won’t know exactly what the course will be until after surgery.
So lots of meetings, questions and forms today. But it was a good day and meeting all the people involved instilled us both with a strong sense that "this is the place." All of the people we have met here at Stanford have been incredible, on every level.  Sandy feels she is in the best possible place to fight this. Which has been reinforced by even all the great hotel staff people, and our sweet waitress at a wonderful Chinese restaurant (best Chinese food we’ve ever had, thanks to all the nurse’s recommendations) who, after innocently asking us why we had traveled to Stanford and got Sandy’s smiling "to have brain surgery" reply, gave us a big box of fortune cookies for good luck. By the way, Sandy’s fortune cookie read… "Being aware of your fears will improve your life."  Yes indeed, I’d say we’re there…
Sandy wanted me to thank everyone for all the love and support coming her way. We rode that wave down here and continue to feel it. I thank you as well. Keep it coming.
Please send us a note if you would like to by clicking "comments" link at each post. Just let me know if you would rather it be private to us and I won’t post your comment for all to see. If your comment is already posted and you don’t want it to be, let me know via comments link.
Good night and love to all,
Dan

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