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Hi everyone.


In case you haven't heard yet, my mom has been diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).


Yes, this sucks. Let me get most of your FAQ out of the way here.


It is inoperable.


She is being cared for by her three kids, Oren, Donna, and Maya, a team of fabulous caregivers, her amazing family members, and loving friends. Please see The Who's Who page for details.


If someone caring for her does respond to your phone calls, emails, or texts, it is very likely we are freaking out about something or other. Please follow up because we probably just forgot in the middle of the madness.


We cannot express how grateful we are to have friends and family by our sides right now. Please keep coming, keep checking in, keep visiting, and if you are reading this you are invited for our weekly Friday night shabbat dinners. Please let us know you want in and then just come.


She is undergoing chemo treatments monthly now. My mom has markers in the tumor which make her respond really well to the kind of chemo treatments she is being given. This is awesome, so please read the post about that if you are curious. We will post about each round from now on. She is taking pills for her treatment, and they do not make her sick, just tired. We call them her "get well" pills, not her chemo pills, so if you are going to refer to them in her presence, please get with the program. This is not a cure, but it is a treatment.


Her prognosis is not that she will beat this. The goal of the chemo is to extend her life, possibly but not probably shrink the tumor, and give us as much good time with her as we can.


There is a chance she may be able to do radiation at a later date, but right now the tumor, though primarily located in the front right part of her brain, is pretty diffuse, so it is not a great idea to do radiation if we are not able to shrink it with chemo.


No, we don't want to hear about your friend who beat this. If you want to hear about the usual prognosis, feel free to google it. We have spoken to her doctors and we are on track for end of life happening within the next year. This is incredibly difficult to say, so that is why we don't want to hear about Betty next door who had the exact same thing and ten years later is totally fine. If that happens, believe me we will be the happiest ones to hear. Until then, we have to live in the real world and dealing with your toxic optimism is really difficult and draining.


We are sheltering our mom from as much of the bad news as we can, though she is aware of the seriousness of the situation. She doesn't know her prognosis because who cares? She's going to do what she wants, as she always has.


Take a deep breath and join this journey with us. We want and need you here. We promise it will be hard, but sometimes you just have to do hard things.

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