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Posted by: Dan @ 4:32 pm
Updated at 10pm…
Today we were at the medical center for a few hours for Sandy’s pre-operation meetings. The Gnome went with us of course, and rested on the exam table while we waited for doctors. He was a big hit with the staff, and even Sandy’s neuro-surgeon liked him. He asked if he had a name and suggested “Dr. R****” - Sandy’s neuro-oncologist. “Yeah, I think he looks like him…” he laughed. We talked about the surgery scheduled for Monday. He’s very confident that it will go alright, with about the same amount of risk as the last surgery. Sandy is scheduled as his 2nd surgery of the day, so she asked him if he was going to get lunch first. “Are you buying?” he joked. “Definitely.” she replied.
We then went to the surgery admitting office, and then to the anasthesiologist nurse to talk about the process some more. They drew some of Sandy’s blood to run baseline type and tests on.
All of these pre-op meetings with doctors and nurses were so much scarier the first time around in October. But since we have been through it all before, we know what to expect and know the process. It’s of course still intense and took us one more big step toward the reality of Monday and beyond, but we were actually joking with her surgeon and the nurses. I don’t think we did too much of that last time.
One of our favorite staff people at the surgery office suggested a mexican restaurant she loves for lunch. We found it, tucked into a beautiful tree-lined neighborhood on the edge of downtown. It was indeed a great place with great food… 
…the perfect place to celebrate being released from the exam rooms of the medical center.
Tonight we went to a very special place… the Labyrinth at Stanford church. Once a month the labyrinth is laid out inside the church below the main altar area. We really didn’t know a lot about labyrinths before this, and it turned out to be a very special experience. This labyrinth is a “portable” one, laid out on a large piece of vinyl that you walk on. See this Stanford Labyrinth article for a better description. This is what the style of the Stanford Labyrinth looks like…
12th-century stone labyrinth installed in the floor of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Chartres, France
It’s not a maze, as you enter and exit by the same path. It’s a very calming and meditative experience. And to experience it inside this beautiful church, with candles surrounding the labyrinth and the setting sun illuminating the stained glass windows, was a wonderful experience. A perfect end to a day spent walking the straight halls of the medical center… to end the day slowly walking the peaceful arcs of the labyrinth…
Again, thanks for all the thoughts, prayers, and love. We are so blessed.
Good night,
Dan