Treatment Update and Additional News

Proton radiation is going well.  I am in my second full week of treatment.  7 of 33 treatments are complete and I will have 5 more this week, Monday through Friday.  I work with the same people each day and they are really good folks who care a ton.  Nobody wants to be getting radiation for cancer and the people that work at the proton center do everything they can to make the experience as smooth as possible.  So far, side effects have been minimal.  But side effects are cumulative so I expect to have more fatigue as treatment continues.

Talking to my good friend, Scott, we realized that the Ghostbusters used "proton packs" to deal with the ghosts/demons/etc they encountered.  One of my oncologists said that the objective of treatment is to transform my brain tumor into a "ghost" of a tumor since it cannot be surgically removed.  I actually think is a beautiful analogy for how I have to learn to live and thrive in harmony with the tumor.  So the Ghostbusters theme seems very relevant at the moment!  We will have to re-watch the movie soon since it is such a classic (we already have been watching Star Wars).  #whoyougonnacall

Additional news and updates: Kim felt Brim moving around for the first time last week!  That was really, really exciting.  Kim will be 20 weeks pregnant this week and that is the halfway mark!  She is doing an amazing job balancing growing a child with everything else going on.  We also made a quick trip down to Portland over the weekend to see friends, family and Lizzie and Blake's new home.  It was a good test since we have not moved too far from home for a while.  We passed.  

Lastly, thank you for the continued support.  It is absolutely amazing and has helped keep our positive attitude and spirits sky high.

Love to you all, Brian

Be Positive!

Brian Tracy has cancer. 
It is in his brain. 
It might be a part of him forever. 
If that’s the case, he is not going to fight himself.
He is going to love it instead.
Love it into submission.
Be one with it.
This kind of positivity should not go unrecognized.
Help the cause by spreading the good.
http://www.booster.com/be-positive

Many of you have already seen this through the power of social media.  Brian's co-workers and friends surprised us and created this Booster page to boost the outpouring of love and support right before treatment began.  Treatment was smooth today and radiation is underway successfully!  The support has been beyond amazing, and the shirts look really, really cool.

The primary goal of this is to spread the message of positivity into the world.  If we see one of these shirts in Seattle, or the Tracys see them in Chicago or the Bennetts see them in Portland, it will absolutely make our day.  The Booster site is set up to raise funds, but that was not the primary goal.  The idea with any funds that are raised is to find positive ways to make the world a better place.  John Herzog (whose name is on the Booster) is Brian's good friend and co-worker and organized the site.  Part of the proceeds from shirts will be used to make other fun items with the logo like decals/stickers that could be distributed to friends and strangers in Seattle, Portland, Chicago and elsewhere.  Surplus funds will go to a positive mission that we identify.  It could be donated to cancer research or maybe directly to people facing the challenges of cancer that they meet during Brian's journey through treatment.

Radiation Treatment Starts Tomorrow

Hi Everyone,
Just a quick update.  Brian will start treatment tomorrow (June 11).  The first round of treatment is radiation over an approximately 6-week period.  Treatment will be 5 days a week Monday through Friday for a total of about 33 treatments.  Radiation should be complete near the end of July.  Appointments will be quick, at about 30 minutes total, and he will meet with a radiation oncologist once a week.  Sidenote: The radiation oncologist is brilliant and maybe the best doctor we have met.

He is actually doing proton therapy radiation which is a slightly different technology than typical radiation (called photon radiation).  The technology for proton therapy is pretty incredible and there are some major advantages compared to typical radiation especially since the tumor is in Brian's brain.  We are super lucky because the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance's (SCCA) proton therapy center is located about 10 minutes from our house and there are only about 14 of these facilities in the entire U.S.!  Here is some information on the SCCA proton therapy and the technology if you are interested:  https://www.sccaprotontherapy.com/proton-therapy

Brian is working on some meditation and visualization techniques (AKA Jedi skills) to use during the treatments to enhance the effect and to stay still!  Side effects of radiation differ from person to person, but it seems likely fatigue will be the biggest issue.  The side effects are cumulative, so the first couple weeks might be fine with fatigue increasing as more treatment is administered.  A friend who has gone through radiation for brain cancer suggested to "embrace the nap".  Whatever happens we will be taking it one day at a time as treatment begins.

Lastly, Brian may be in need of rides to treatment.  The schedule is dictated by the proton therapy center and may vary week to week.  We will have a schedule for the next week every Thursday.  As needed, we will send out email blasts and maybe set up a Google calendar link or something for people to sign up to volunteer rides.  You may want to check this place out!  And many thanks to everyone that has already offered to help.

Overall we are happy to begin the treatment.  It will be a long road, but it will feel nice to start.

Sending our love.

Here is Brian's custom mask that he wears during radiation treatment to keep his head still.