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.”
With those parting words, I wandered into the hospital parking lot. My focus was now centered on locating practical and science-based resources describing how people who were given a terminal diagnosis beat the odds. I agreed with Ira that clinical trials and unproven treatments were too speculative and sometimes caused more harm than good. We weren’t interested in going down that path unless his condition spiraled out of control.
My research centered on reasonable approaches to combatting incurable cancer, effective diets, ways to promote brain health, and key components of longevity. Since the current standard of care treatments for glioblastoma had limited results, was it possible to incorporate non-traditional approaches to expand Ira’s quality of life? Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation were designed to kill cancer cells. Were there ways to simultaneously repair and nurture Ira’s body? Could we find a way to tap into his self-healing potential?
Within a couple of days of his July 29, 2020 diagnosis, I started reading Kelly A. Turner’s Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds. I was inspired.
According to Dr. Turner, Radical Remission happens under these circumstances:
A person’s cancer goes away without any conventional medicine; or
A cancer patient tries conventional medicine, but the cancer does not go into remission, so he or she switches to alternative methods of healing, which do lead to a remission; or
A cancer patient uses conventional medicine and alternative healing methods at the same time in order to outlive a statistically dire prognosis (i.e., any cancer with a less than 25 percent chance of five-year survival. (Page 6)
After interviewing people who had experienced Radical Remission as well as alternative cancer healers, Dr. Turner identified 75 different factors that hypothetically played a role in the recovery process. Nine of the 75 factors appeared more frequently. The book focuses on these nine elements.
- Radically changing your diet
- Taking control of your health
- Following your intuition
- Using herbs and supplements
- Releasing suppressed emotions
- Increasing positive emotions
- Embracing emotional support
- Deepening your spiritual connection
- Having strong reasons for living. (Page 8)
Interestingly, most of the Radical Remission cancer survivors interviewed by Dr. Turner incorporated all nine of these changes into their daily life.
DIET
Luckily, I had been researching the connection between diet and disease for many years. I was searching for effective diets that could potentially lower my A1C and blood lipid panel results and to also identify foods that would help Ira after his 2010 traumatic brain injury. My research has led me to the same conclusion as Dr. Turner’s belief, “we are indeed what we eat.” (Page 13)
Dr. Turner found that Radical Remission survivors tended to make four dietary changes:
- Greatly reducing or eliminating sugar, meat, dairy, and refined foods,
- Greatly increasing vegetable and fruit intake,
- Eating organic foods, and
- Drinking filtered water. (Page 14)
In my recent blog, Eat to Beat Disease and Glioblastoma, I discuss Dr. Li’s views on the relationship between sugar and cancer. Dr. Turner, while not a medical doctor, cites other research outlining this noteworthy connection.
While researchers are still not clear whether a high-sugar diet causes cancer, what we do know is that once cancer cells are in your body, they consume anywhere from ten to fifty times more glucose than normal cells do. Therefore, it makes logical sense for cancer patients to cut as much refined sugar from their diets as possible, in order to avoid ‘feeding’ their cancer cells, and instead rely on the glucose found naturally in vegetables and fruits. (Page 15)
She also points out why most survivors also reduce or avoid dairy products.
…the evidence is mounting to show that dairy may be cancer promoting, whether due to its inherent casein protein or to the bad things we add to it during production. (Page18)
Eliminating meat entirely from one’s diet can be challenging for carnivores or for people requiring more protein during chemotherapy. Dr. Turner recommends the following limitations for people who want to eat meat.
If you do choose to eat some meat, make sure it is organic, range free, hormone- and antibiotic-free, and grass-fed, and to limit your intake. (Page 20)
Another common thread was the emphasis on keeping blood sugar levels lower by avoiding refined and processed foods that are known to cause blood sugar spikes. Since a plethora of studies have also shown the benefit of eating a plant-based diet along with exercising on a regular basis, she advocates adhering to the known data by increasing the amounts of foods identified as cancer fighters. Similar to Dr. Li’s approach, she recommends eating a rainbow of colors.
Longevity experts often cite the positive effects of fasting. Dr. Turner also describes how fasts can detoxify the body. Drinking water can be another way to rid the body of excess toxins. It should be noted that Dr. Turner’s pool of interviewees tended to avoid tap water in favor of natural spring water.
TAKING CONTROL
Dr. Turner identifies three significant ways that patients should take control:
- Taking an active (versus passive) role in your health,
- Being willing to make changes in your life,
- And being able to deal with resistance. (Pages 45-6)
Successful patients were able to grasp their “own inner power” and in the process examine what needed to be changed for optimal health. From the start of our cancer journey, we took a close look at our lifestyle choices and then decided the steps we would take to modify our daily routine. While we did encounter some who felt that we were wasting our time, we were lucky that Ira’s medical providers encouraged us to forge our own path.
Until I read the chapter, Taking Control of Your Health, I was unfamiliar with the term Type C personality,
someone who is overly passive and does not stand up for him or herself. ( Page 53)
For those who fall into this category, it is important to recognize that “recent studies all seem to indicate that feeling helpless—much more so than being passive or pleasing—is what weakens your immune system, and it also decreases survival time in cancer patients. Page 53)
Part of playing an active role in the cancer journey is to stay informed by remaining current on the latest cancer developments and tracking the success rates of different options. While Ira would prefer not to spend time researching and reviewing countless email newsletters, I gladly fill this void by remaining engaged and then sharing only the pertinent ideas and trends. Some cancer patients, like Ira, would prefer to focus on living life to its fullest instead of being bogged down by the depressing realities of incurable cancer.
INTUITION
How often do your gut feelings guide your path? Cancer survivors in Dr. Turner’s research demonstrated an uncanny ability to use their sixth sense as a successful resource in their healing process.
Intuitive decisions are not things we think through carefully, with reason, but rather choices that arise quickly, out of instinct.” (Page 83)
While reasoning may sometimes interfere with knee jerk reactions and may slow the pace,
“studies indicate that it is best to trust your intuition when it comes to making complex life decisions, while it is better to use your slower, more analytic brain for solving simpler problems.” (Page 85)
Interestingly, the part of the brain housing intuition developed when immediate danger was a daily occurrence. By tapping into this resource, terminal cancer patients are more adept at making life and death decisions. Dr Turner suggests using guided imagery, meditation, journaling or dream analysis to connect with one’s intuition.
Realizing the importance of harvesting Ira’s intuition, I tried to include meditation and guided imagery into our daily routine with limited success. Incorporating the daily practice of meditation remains a work in progress.
HERBS AND SUPPLEMENTS
With few exceptions, most glioblastoma patients follow the standard of care protocols set forth by the medical community. Since this approach weakens the body, it makes perfect sense to adopt a secondary line of attack focusing on restoring the body’s immune system. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by using plant-based herbs and supplements. Cancer cells will be less likely to survive in a hostile environment.
To get rid of cancer, you must change the conditions under which it thrives. (Page 106)
The people cited in this chapter consulted with experts before implementing a protocol. Far too often, I read about people simply following what others claim helped them or asking people on chat rooms for advice. Since each individual is different, care needs to be taken in finding a custom program that caters to the person’s needs. Experts need to be consulted for the best results. Alternative therapies should work hand in hand with food choices and known metabolic deficits. Even when people follow a nutrient-dense diet, it is possible to fall short on some essential vitamins and minerals.
Today’s fruits and vegetables have up to 40 percent fewer vitamins and minerals than they did just fifty years ago. (Page 116)
Dr Turner singles out three types of supplements that are often taken by Radical Remission survivors.
- Digestive enzymes and/or prebiotics and probiotics
- Detoxify agents—antifungals, antiparasitic, liver detoxifiers
- Immune System Activators—vitamins, hormones and foods. (Pages 129-131)
After discussing the relevance of these supplements, she concludes that a healthy lifestyle with an emphasis on nutrient-dense plant-based foods, a lack of daily toxins, good sleep patterns, and daily exercise may in some cases negate the need for supplement intervention.
RELEASING SUPPRESSED EMOTIONS
Dr. Turner began this chapter with a thought-provoking quote from Mark Twain. “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” (Page 133)
Do our past emotions affect our overall health? Dr. Turner’s research illustrates that
illness is a blockage on either the physical, emotional, or spiritual level of our beings. Survivors as well as alternative cancer healers believe that health is achieved when we have a state of unrestricted movement on all three of these levels. (Page 134)
Radical Remission survivors focus their energies on identifying the source of their personal blockage and then find a way to remove it. Frequently, stress is the culprit.
What researchers know for certain is that stress weakens the immune system, and the immune system plays a key role in directing and removing cancer cells from the body. (Page 139)
Dr. Tsuneo Kobayashi, a Tokyo integrative oncologist,
believes suppressing emotions is one of the key things that can damage the mitochondria.” (Page 140) If his theory is correct, more attention has to be focused on our ability to effectively cope with our emotions. “When someone has cancer, two things are happening: the cancerous cells are no longer getting their energy from oxygen but instead from sugar (i.e. glucose), and they are no longer dying when they should but instead replicating and living forever. Both of these functions—creating energy via oxygen and dying on time—are jobs of the mitochondria. Therefore, Dr. Warburg’s and Dr. Kobayashi’s theory that cancer cells are simply healthy cells whose mitochondria have been damaged makes a lot of sense. (Page 140)
In addition to stress, fear is another potent emotion affecting many patients with a terminal diagnosis. Facing one’s mortality is not easy. Unlike many other glioblastoma patients who cannot come to terms with a potentially deadly disease, Ira has viewed his diagnosis as a challenge that he is capable of overcoming. Having personal experience dealing with my own fears, I wholeheartedly agree that fear needs to be short circuited before it causes damage.
In countless other studies researchers have shown that fear keeps the body stuck in fight-or-flight mode, which means the body cannot switch to rest-and-repair mode. Many people don’t realize that these two modes of operating are mutually exclusive; so, if you are feeling fear, your body is not healing, and if your body is self-healing, you are not feeling fear. (Page 145)
While Ira has done a remarkable job of staying focused on the present, I have occasionally found myself vacillating between the past, present, and the future. After reading Michael Broffman’s (a San Francisco acupuncturist and herbalist) analysis of the importance of addressing uncertainty, I have a better understanding of why my inability to cope effectively with uncertainty is causing an overabundance of stress.
Uncertainty seems to be a very key aspect—people who can stay in the present and not project fear into the future (do better). So, if you can deal with uncertainty of the cancer by staying in the present, then that seems to be the ticket. From a remission standpoint, it seems to then cause the body to relax. The body relaxes, gets more oxygen, more oxygen means the cell has a better chance, and then you’ll fall in line. (Page 146)
It is impossible to live a life devoid of the negative emotions of stress, fear, grief, and anger. The key is to find a way to limit the ill effects of these emotions on the immune system. Suppressing these emotions is not the answer. Instead,
it is healthiest for a person to feel fully, and then release fully, any and all emotions that come up, whether they be positive or negative. Doing so allow you not only to experience the full range of human expression, but also to spend more time truly happy in between the various waves of emotion. (Page 174)
This chapter includes a small reference to an individual diagnosed with grade 3 oligodendroglioma, a brain tumor with a survival rate of approximately three and a half years. After two brain surgeries, this Radical Remission survivor chose to focus on his diet, the inclusion of supplements, and removing physical blockages in his body instead of pursuing the traditional approach of chemotherapy and radiation. (Pages 135-6)
At the end of the chapter, Dr. Turner offers a wonderful analogy that highlight the importance of not suppressing our feelings.
Emotions should flow through the body like waves crashing on a beach—in and out. (Page 162)
INCREASING POSITIVE EMOTIONS
Contrasting the emotions of fear and stress are the positive emotions associated with love and joy.
When we feel fear or stress, our hormones tell the cells in our bodies to either fight or flee. When we feel joy or love, our hormones tell our bodies to spend time repairing broken cells, digesting food, and healing infections. (Page 168)
How can one not be impressed by the impact of positive emotions on the body?
Whenever we feel the emotions of love, joy, or happiness, the glands in our brains release a surge of healing hormones into our bloodstreams, including serotonin, relaxin, oxytocin, dopamine, and endorphins. These hormones instantly communicate with all the cells in our bodies, telling them to do things such as:
-
Lower blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol (the stress hormone)
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Improve blood circulation
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Deepen our breathing, which brings more oxygen to each cell
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Digest our food more slowly, which helps the body absorb more nutrients
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Increase white and red blood cell activity, which helps the immune system
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Increase natural killer cell activity, which helps the immune system fight cancer
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Clear out any infections
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Scan for cancer and remove any cancer cells” (Pages 168-9)
For decades, Ira and I have used laughter as a way to cope with challenging situations. We continue to remain light-hearted and have joked around during doctor’s appointments and when watching intense cancer webinars. I am happy to see that this attitude offers positive benefits.
Laughter has even been shown to increase the number of immune cells of people undergoing chemotherapy. Similar studies have shown that people who are battling an illness and have an overall positive attitude live significantly longer than people who are battling an illness and are pessimistic (Page 169)
Radical Remission survivors and healers unanimously agree that happiness needs to be part of a survivor’s daily existence.
What they discovered is that, by purposefully making time every day to do something that brought them joy, the quicker that feeling of joy came to them and the longer its pleasant effects lasted throughout the day. In this way, doing activities that brought them joy was similar to taking pain medicine in that it made them feel noticeably better. (Page 172)
Many of Dr. Turner’s action steps mentioned on pages 190-192 for increasing positive emotions are worth sharing:
- Start every day with a smile or a feeling of gratitude.
- Reduce the number of news article and news shows
- Add comedies to your movie viewing
- Limit the time spent with people who deplete your energies and increase time with people who energize you.
- Enjoy nature
- Commit to at least 5 minutes of happiness per day
- Every night, recap the day and acknowledge at least one moment of happiness.
EMBRACING SOCIAL SUPPORT
No one can underestimate the importance of companionship, especially in the aftermath of a terminal cancer diagnosis. While I made this statement based on personal feelings, Dr. Turner backs up this assertion with medical research.
Researchers have recently discovered that loved ones also help our bodies in a more sophisticated way. When we are surrounded by loved ones or even our pets, the feeling of being loved released a flood of potent hormones into bloodstreams, which not only make us feel better emotionally but also strengthen our immune systems significantly. Receiving love from others when we are sick actually helps the body heal itself.” (Pages 193-4)
One healer named Dane stated,
…love is a high-frequency, health-inducing form of energy. Therefore, giving love—or high-frequency energy—to a sick person is believed to help that person clear out any energetic blockages and help restore balance to his or her bodily systems. (Page 196)
The statistics supporting social support are astounding.
…the good news is that strong social connections have been shown to significantly lengthen your survival time as well—by an average of 25 percent…studies have shown that having a strong social support is what matters most, and it doesn’t matter whether that strong support is obtained from two close friends, thirty acquaintances, or one spouse. (Pages 196-7)
Yes, love is part of the answer to Radical Remission.
What they have found—through brain MRIs, blood tests, and saliva analysis—is that receiving love and social support leads to a significant increase in powerful healing hormones, such as dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. These hormones in turn boost the immune system by sending signals to decrease inflammation, increase blood and oxygen circulation and increase the number of white blood cells, red blood cells, and helper T cells, and natural killer cells. (Page 197)
Another key aspect to survival is to not feel alone.
…when researchers tested the blood and saliva of lonely people, they found that loneliness is associated with increased cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and depressed immune system profile which means a decreased ability to remove cancer cells from the body. Taken together, these loneliness studies show us that just as social connections can be a powerful immune booster, loneliness can be a silent killer. (Page 200)
Since not every cancer patient is in a situation where loved ones can embrace them, it is comforting to note that pets can fulfill a powerful role. Our cat, Chloe, has an uncanny ability to know when we need some love.
Studies have shown that we receive the same, wonderful release of healing hormones from being around pets as we do from being around our friends and family, and pet owners have been shown to live significantly longer than non-pet owners. (Page 202)
On cancer chat rooms and forums, cancer patients often state that their friends and relatives connected with them when they were first diagnosed and then lost interest as they made positive advances in their treatment. It is hard to say why some people retreat and do not offer the appropriate support to cancer patients. Perhaps, these individuals do not understand what is potentially needed by individuals who are fighting to stay alive. Realizing the importance of not feeling abandoned, Dr. Turner offers useful suggestions on pages 215-216, to help friends and relatives identify useful things they can do for cancer patients.
- Call at least once a week to let the person know you are thinking about them.
- Bring a healthy meal to lighten the burden.
- Offer to do household chores or run errands.
- Plan a special outing that includes the cancer patient.
- Let the person know you are thinking about them.
DEEPENING YOUR SPIRITUAL CONNECTION
Recognizing the diverse ideas surrounding spirituality, Dr. Turner carefully offers an inclusive overview highlighting the impact of spirituality on cancer survival. She begins the discussion by identifying five key components that will help people achieve a state of peacefulness, and at the end of the chapter offers some suggestions for daily practices. Some of the concepts discussed in this chapter were not easy to grasp. Thus, I have relied on direct quotes to provide an overview of some of these points.
Spirituality as an Experience—
This feeling of blissful, spiritual energy is not the result of a belief but rather a mental and/or physical practice that produces an intense experience of spiritual energy. (Page 218)
I was unable to fully comprehend this concept until I read the next paragraph were she used a yoga class, a long run, or a relaxing massage as examples.
Unconditional, Universal Love—
When they describe feeling this love, they say they lose a sense of separateness from all other things—they no longer feel like an individual but instead feel merged with everyone and everything. This feeling starts to flood their whole being when they engage in a spiritual practice: it comes form no particular source and is directed toward all things. They describe it as a deep, universal love that is available to us in every situation, but only if we actively tap into it. It is like having a healing river flowing under the ground at all times—the river is always there, but you have to take the time to stop, dig a hole, and drink the water if you want to receive its healing benefits. Page 221
Acknowledging the relationship between the physical body and the intangible spirit—
A common thread among Radical Remission survivors was the belief that their recovery was dependent on the ability to connect to their spiritual energy or soul.
Implementation of a Spiritual Routine—
To be successful at recharging the body, most remain on task by setting aside a dedicated time.
Quieting the Mind—
…spiritual energy cannot start to flow through the body before the thoughts in your mind have stopped… it is not the method of stopping your thoughts that matter, only that you do find a way to silence your racing mind, so the true experience of spiritual energy can begin. Page 226
Naturopaths and cancer nutritionists frequently recommend that glioblastoma patients take melatonin supplements. Until reading this chapter, I was unaware of the connection between meditation and melatonin levels.
…researchers have found that practicing meditation produces high levels of melatonin in the body. Melatonin is a healthy and necessary hormone that helps us sleep. A good night’s sleep is vital to our health, because it is the only time when our immune system can spend hours repairing cells and cleaning out the body. Interestingly, melatonin has been found to be dangerously low in many cancer patients. Therefore, this study could explain how a spiritual practice such as meditation might help the body fight cancer. (Page 228)
Studies have consistently shown the positive effects of meditation. Dr. Turner shares some of the pertinent research that illustrates how meditation can improve circulation, promote better sleep patterns, reduce stress, increase empathy, and help immune systems.
Dr. Turner includes the story of a young man who had an inoperable glioblastoma. This Radical Remission survivor attributes his success to being treated for two years by a Brazilian faith healer named John of God. Remarkably, his fatal tumor disappeared without a trace on subsequent MRI scans. (Pages 230-250)
To gain a better understanding of the range of possible spiritual practices, I am including some of Dr. Turner’s suggestions:
- 10 deep breaths a day
- Observing the world while walking outside
- Listen to a guided imagery program
- Listen to a guided meditation program
- Quietly pray for five minutes per day
- Join an online or in person spiritual group
HAVING STRONG REASONS FOR LIVING
After watching Ira cope with his glioblastoma diagnosis, I can see that his overall attitude is shaped by his desire to live life to its fullest, rather than simply not wanting to die. He is quick to point out that it is great to be alive, but it is a totally different scenario to be living.
From a scientific standpoint, it is a proven fact that when you have a strong thought or emotion, powerful hormones are released instantly into your bloodstream; they have either a beneficial or detrimental effect on your immune system, depending on the nature of that thought or emotion. From an alternative medicine standpoint, having strong reasons for living invites chi into the body. Similar to inhaling, alternative healers believe that we invite the breath of life into us when we are excited about living, but when we are not excited about being here, we will eventually not bring in enough chi to keep our bodies alive anymore, as chi is the energy that gives life to the body. (Page 258)
Ira’s cancer diagnosis has impacted the way we face the world each day. While I didn’t think it was possible to enhance our 46 years of being an outstanding team, the diagnosis revitalized our marriage and our desire to be together throughout the cancer journey. As soon as we felt it was safe to travel, we explored the world again.
Our adventures helped us take giant steps away from Ira’s treatments and instead focus on life. Fortunately, Ira’s surgery, chemo and radiation did not prevent us from engaging in our pre-diagnosis lifestyle. As a result, we continued to plan active trips that included skiing, horseback riding, snow shoeing, hiking at altitude, and snorkeling in the ocean.
When we are not traveling, we spend time with our growing family. Is important to connect our four children and their families with our Jewish heritage and values. Family events with grandchildren scurrying about bring incredible joy. In July, we welcomed the newest addition to our family, our sixth grandchild.
This healthy mindset jives with current research.
…studies show us that not focusing on dying and instead focusing on other things—such as your reasons for living—may actually help you survive cancer longer, reduce your chances for recurrence, and give you fewer side effects. (Page 263)
CONCLUSION
In her parting words, Dr. Turner briefly mentions the role that exercise can play in Radical Remission but simultaneously acknowledges that many cancer patients are often too weak to be physically active. Ira’s pre-diagnosis physical condition coupled with his strong desire to keep moving enabled him to walk miles in the hospital before we returned home. Once home, we built on this base and increased the length and times of our walks and eventually returned to our fully active lifestyle, even while undergoing six months of chemo. Our desire to be fit and try new activities has energized both of our minds and spirits. If possible, I encourage other cancer patients to do the same.
PERSONAL REFLECTION
As I look back on the last 13 months, I applaud Ira’s efforts to remain emotionally balanced and physically strong. While we are optimistic that the FDA approved Optune device that he wears every day on his head will continue to polarize the remaining cancer cells, we are hoping that our multi-tiered lifestyle choices will work together with this apparatus to positively affect Ira’s journey.
A little more than a year after initially reading Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds, my determination to assist Ira in remaining an outlier has been revitalized. We will continue to walk hand in hand as we enjoy every step along our journey and will not be deterred by the obstacles we encounter.
Related Posts
Eat to Beat Disease and Glioblastoma
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Mark Your Calendar -Glioblastoma Awareness Day – July 21, 2021
To bring attention to Glioblastoma, Sandy highlighted the ability to embrace life after a glio diagnosis.
Celebrating Wedding Anniversary in Kauai, Hawaii
To celebrate their 46th wedding anniversary and life, Sandy and Ira explored Kauai.
Spring Getaway to Captiva Island, Florida
A late spring getaway took us to romantic and picturesque Captiva Island.
Grand Hyatt Vail Healthy Cuisine
Yes, you can maintain a healthy diet while traveling.
Tackling the Back Bowls at Vail While Media Guests at the Grand Hyatt Vail
Can you believe that until spring 2021, I had never skied at Vail? Thanks to a media trip hosted by the Grand Hyatt Vail, Ira and I explored this amazing terrain and our youngest son, Jordan, led the way to their famous back bowls.
While Ira was undergoing chemo, we went horseback ride, snowshoe, and learned archery at Vista Verde Ranch, a luxury dude ranch near Steamboat, Colorado.
New Year’s Tradition at Keystone Resort
Glioblastoma and chemo did not stop Ira from skiing more than 20 times with glioblastoma.
BIO
Sandra Bornstein is the author of May This Be the Best Year of Your Life. Sandra’s memoir highlights her living and teaching adventure in Bangalore, India. She was a licensed Colorado teacher who taught K-12 students in the United States and abroad. Sandra also taught college-level courses at Front Range Community College and the University of Colorado-Boulder.
In addition to reviewing books and interviewing authors, Sandra is an award-winning author and lifestyle and travel journalist. Many of Sandra’s travel stories appear on the For Readers Page. To follow Sandra’s travel adventures, visit TheTravelingBornsteins website.
Connect with Sandra