If you are receiving this, you have requested to receive updates and to know how you can help as I heal from this nasty thing in my brain. I have been invited on an unwelcome journey of conquering brain cancer. You have reached out to me and my family for updates, to offer help and support and have sent so much love. Because I am a bit of a control freak and I love to know how to be successful with people, I assume that if you have a good road map from me of how you can best support me, we will both feel good. That is what I hope to provide here…. So first a quick recap and update: How we got here…. this all started with a grand mal seizure out of the blue (on Zoom in front of G-d and everybody😩) and then another one 10 days later. This began a mad dash to figure out what the heck was going on with MRIs, CT scans, EEG, etc. which led to the discovery of a small tumor of unknown provenance. Fast forward to surgery and (like Alexander) and the not so good, very bad day it was reveled that the tumor removed is very aggressive form of brain cancer. It’s been a lot in a very short amount of time and I am really lucky to have world-class medical care at my disposal. One of the biggest hurdles has been the rapid shift in my identity from a active healthy woman running my private practice, helping people and making a difference, traveling, remodeling, hiking 12 miles every weekend, - doing all the things and feeling the best I have felt in years physically, emotionally and mentally. And just 8 weeks later I have lost most of my independence because I can’t drive, have had to close my practice (temporarily) and leave my beloved professional community, and applied for SSDI. What the what??!! As I adjust to this new normal and focus on healing here are my thoughts on how you can support me…. So, here's the deal. I am not "sick". I am not dying, fragile, weak, or in need of care. I am lucky in that I have not experienced a single neurological deficit and I feel completely healthy, energetic and normal, other than recovering from surgery. Despite feeling normal, this scary thing is growing in my brain and we are going to work to eradicate it. From what I understand, I should not be very different while I navigate the upcoming treatment which consists of about 8 weeks of radiation and chemo combined and then 6 more months of chemo and a weird cap thing I have to wear 18 hours a day. While I am not ill, I will have to do some pretty harsh things to my body to accomplish this goal which will likely make me feel poorly at times but I am not willing to see myself as sick. I have also been told that this is not the chemo of yesteryear, it is much more targeted (mine is pill form) and they have greatly reduced the side effects and I am encouraged to live life, exercise, maintain a schedule, and care for myself. My goal is to take exquisite care of my physical, emotional, and spiritual self so that I can maintain my vibrance through this process of treatment and beyond, through both allopathic and holistic means. I will be on the tail end of the distribution curve according to my doctor because of my excellent prognostic indicators and I refuse to entertain any other outcome. I am not naïve enough to believe that things will not be challenging before they get easier but I also believe that this is a chapter in my life that I will get through - this will not define my life. I have brain cancer but I am still a mom, a wife, a grandma, a friend, a yogi, a woman, a lover, a reader, an attorney, a therapist, a writer, a dog mom, a traveler, an explorer and adventurer. I am healthy, fit, smart, vibrant and insatiably curious. These energies will guide my path and help me to stay grounded in who I am and who I am becoming. What I need most from my support team is company and friendship! Whether it be visits, driving me to appointments, book and movie recommendations, funny memes or inspirational stories/quotes, taking me to run errands or out on adventures (not being able to drive is definitely my biggest indignity). Because I am sidelined from driving rides to go shopping, to a movie, for coffee, on a hike, will likely to be very helpful and welcome after the holidays. Through the holidays, my kids will all be in town a lot so I will have a lot of support. But, this is a marathon and all through 2023 I will be working my way toward wellness. I do not see myself as a victim or feel sorry for myself, I simply have zero space for that in my world. I see this as an invitation for radical change. I accept this challenge because I can do hard things and will gracefully proceed through this journey toward health, wellness and no cancer! What I need most when I do see you is some sense of normalcy, not pity or advice. Again- those of you who know me, know I am always evaluating, thinking about thinking and existentially wandering through life. Thanks for being willing to be on this ride with me and to partner in my healing journey and being willing to literally or evnergetically walk alongside me as I do hard things!! xoxo Kim