Sandra Bornstein

Most Recent Book

May This Be the Best Year of Your Life

“Sandy takes us on her personal adventures in India, with all the ups and downs and uncertainties of the unknown. She confronts social, family, and professional challenges with refreshing openness, vulnerability, and determination. I was right there with her, sharing both the anxiety and the joy… every step of the way.” – Rita Golden Gelman
author of Tales of a Female Nomad and more than seventy children’s books”

 

Are you ready to step outside of your comfort zone and plunge into a world of remarkable and memorable adventures?

If so, you’ve come to the right place.

Welcome

On this site, you can read about Sandra Bornstein’s incredible expat teaching adventure in Bangalore, India and how she learned to cope with an assortment of unimaginable events and unrelenting culture shock. After returning to the U.S., Sandy shared memorable experiences in her award-winning book, May This Be the Best Year of Your Life, and shortly thereafter began publishing lifestyle and travel stories on this website as well as other places. A second website, The Traveling Bornsteins was created to exclusively showcase Sandy’s travel writing and her husband Ira’s digital images.

When people reach the empty nester years, they often encounter a host of medical and family issues. Sandy occasionally shares tips on how to overcome these midlife challenges. In July of 2020, Ira was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an incurable brain cancer.

When Sandy isn’t traveling or busy with her four adult sons and their families, she shares their glioblastoma journey on the For Glio page, interviews authors, writes book reviews, offers inspiring talks about her expat and travel experiences, writes stories that motivate others to explore the world, and contributes quality content to online sites and print media. And, like most authors, is contemplating writing another book. If you are interested in working with Sandy on a project, click here.

If you always stay in the security of your home environment, you will never see what the world is all about. So, take a few moments and join Sandy on her latest adventures.

Latest Work

The Benefits of Exercise for Glioblastoma Patients

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Sandy and Ira Bornstein hiking at the Onuma National Park near Hakodate, Japan
Sandy and Ira Bornstein hiking at the Onuma National Park near Hakodate, Japan; November 2019

Prior to Ira’s glioblastoma (GBM) diagnosis in July 2020, our weeks were filled with indoor and outdoor activities. Fortunately, neither the craniotomy nor the chemo/radiation treatments have impacted Ira’s ability to perform traditional exercises like walking and strength training, or fun activities like downhill skiing, hiking in the mountains, snowshoeing at altitude, or swimming in the ocean. Ira has remained determined to maintain his quality of life.

Ira’s first step was to take periodic walks around the post-surgical floor of the hospital. Before being discharged from the hospital, my Apple watch accumulated more than six miles. After returning home, we instituted a daily routine of walking a minimum of 30 minutes a day, weather permitting. We frequently take hikes lasting several hours.

While we consider overall fitness to be just one of our cancer fighting strategies, I was curious to see whether researchers have investigated the link between physical activity and the well-being and longevity of GBM patients. While there are an abundance of studies focusing on healthy individuals and people with more common cancers, researchers have spent far less time examining whether exercise has an impact on the GBM population. Lack of funding, minimal interest in the topic, and a relatively small group of active GBM participants are plausible reasons why this subject has been neglected. The fact that researchers have not devoted much attention to this topic should not dissuade anyone from adding enjoyable exercises into their weekly schedule.

Ira Bornstein walking around Standley Lake in Westminster, Colorado
Ira Bornstein walking around Standley Lake in Westminster, Colorado; 2 weeks post-op craniotomy

Consistent exercise has shown remarkable benefits for other cancer patients by enhancing the quality of life, reducing the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, improving brain function, minimizing fatigue, reducing the likelihood of depression and anxiety, relieving episodes of insomnia, adding muscle strength, improving bone density, expanding range of motion, strengthening the immune system, increasing appetites, and maintaining healthy weight.

Two of the healing factors— taking control and exercise— highlighted in Kelly A. Turner’s award-winning book, Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds, can be accomplished when GBM patients take the initiative to set up an exercise routine. 

Since each GBM patient’s journey is unique, it is not possible to create a one size fits all approach to exercise. Some people respond favorably to the treatments while many other GBM patients have serious repercussions which may prevent or limit them from engaging in physical activity.  Hopefully, the takeaway points from the articles summarized below will motivate GBM patients to get off the couch and start moving at whatever level is possible. Read More

Cancer Cookbooks and Glioblastoma

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Health is like money. We never have a true idea of its value until we lose it.  Josh Billings.

Variation of Cancer-Fighting Kitchen’s Mediterranean Lentil Salad on Page 144

When faced with a glioblastoma diagnosis, it is essential to keep the body as strong as possible so it can effectively recover from the standard of care protocol— brain surgery, chemo/radiation, and a second round of chemo. To accomplish this goal, I researched how diet and exercise can positively impact the ill effects of cancer treatments. Until I started implementing these changes, it was unclear whether any of these modifications would make a difference. While Ira is only one glioblastoma patient, I can say with confidence that he has responded better than I ever anticipated. Read More

Should Glioblastoma Patients Investigate Radical Remission?

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Sandy and Ira Bornstein hiking in Telluride, Colorado July 2020
Sandy and Ira Bornstein hiking in Telluride, Colorado July 2020, just days before Ira’s glioblastoma diagnosis.

I cannot forget the day when my husband, Ira, was diagnosed with glioblastoma. I had accompanied Ira to his doctor’s appointment because I was concerned. We had just driven back from our youngest son’s pandemic wedding in Telluride, Colorado and Ira had trouble staying within the lines while driving on the highway. He also seemed quieter than usual and later became slightly disorientated while walking in our neighborhood. I simply wanted to make sure that his primary care doctor understood the complete picture and did not rely only on Ira’s perspective. While I had anticipated that a brain scan was likely, I didn’t foresee the possibility of an immediate hospitalization.

As the two words—brain cancer— resonated through my thoughts, I was overwhelmed with fear. Ira, on the other hand, was considerably calmer.

Before I left the hospital, Ira turned to me and said, “None of these doctors know me. I’m an individual who doesn’t give a shit about statistics. I’m going to beat this.”

I turned to him in disbelief. “Didn’t you see the mass on your MRI scan? Were you listening to the what the admitting doctor just said? According to her, you only have 12-18 months to live and considerably less if you don’t have the brain surgery immediately?”

“Yes, I did hear. But I know I can beat this.” Read More