On Thursday, December 19 my dad was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme.

He’s 55 years old, and just prior to his diagnosis he was off on a month long surfing trip through Bali and Australia. The diagnosis has come as a shock for all of my dad’s friends and family. My dad has scars all over his body from biking and surfing accidents, as well as a collection of scars acquired over the course of his active life.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive brain cancer. Upon his diagnosis, his doctor recommended my dad have surgery to remove as much of the cluster of tumors as possible. Without surgery, my dad would have lived around 2-4 months. With the surgery and following treatment (chemotherapy and radiation), the doctors have given him a prognosis of 1-2 years. Each day we slowly come to realize another aspect of the extent of his cancer.

After his surgery on Saturday, December 22, my dad remained in Stanford ICU for two days.