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

Recapping 2021: Living with Ira’s Glioblastoma and Thriving

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Hiking Along Vail's Gore Creek Trail in March 2021
Hiking Along Vail’s Gore Creek Trail, March 2021

Last year when I sat down in late December to write my recap story, I sincerely hoped that the pandemic restrictions and concerns would diminish over time. I was sorting out the best approaches to addressing Ira’s glioblastoma diagnosis and how we could adhere to COVID mandates without diminishing our quality of life. Toward the middle of the year, I launched a For Glio website page and started sharing some of my research.

Here is a relevant quote I found along the way.

Sometimes you have to let go of the picture of what you thought life would be like and learn to find joy in the story you are actually living.   Rachel Marie Martin

Instead of dwelling on the uncertainties associated with a terminal diagnosis, we continue to live our lives and not let the cancer control us. Family gatherings are possible when all members are healthy and available. Continuing to plan future events reinforces Ira’s positivity and enhances our gratitude for the memorable moments we share together. Ira remarkably was able to remain strong throughout the first half of the year while his body endured the remaining chemotherapy treatments. Read More

The Biology of Belief and Glioblastoma

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People who beat the odds of an incurable disease and survive longer than anticipated tend to forge a unique pathway to their wellness. While their journeys use different methods, the survivors opt for a course of action that refuses to accept the doctor’s dire diagnosis. To gain a better understanding of how thoughts and beliefs can affect one’s health, I read Dr. Bruce H. Lipton’s book, The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles.

Using his background as a cell biologist and medical school professor, Dr. Lipton concludes that every cell is affected by one’s thoughts. While many of his innovative ideas that were formulated decades ago put Lipton at odds with his more traditional colleagues, Lipton persevered. Epigenetics, “the study of the molecular mechanisms by which the environment controls gene activity, is today one of the most active areas of scientific research.” (Page xxiv)

Throughout my lifetime, the controversy surrounding the nurture and nature theories have ebbed and flowed. Dr. Lipton interjects the concept of New Biology into this equation. This theory “casts life as a cooperative journey among powerful individuals who can program themselves to create joy-filled lives.” (xxvii) With the idea of New Biology, the focus shifts away from the concepts associated with nature and nurture to the conscious mind.

In Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds, Kelly A Turner provides examples of individuals who effectively used their minds to combat a dire prognosis. Lipton takes this idea a step further by providing scientific explanations explaining how our thoughts control the cells in our body. By reading through my overview of The Biology of Belief, glioblastoma patients and their care partners will gain a stronger appreciation of why a positive mindset is paramount when battling a deadly disease. Read More

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