Time for some blog posts!

me, Stacy, and my friend Rebecca, who I just learned passed away Life has a way of throwing curve balls. Yes, this is about today. I had scans yesterday, on Sunday 7/27. I didn't get the results all day. For someone like me, who is in control of a lot of my own healthcare knowledge, not knowing the results was tough. I don't have a lot of anxiety, but it made me anxious. I finally got the results this morning, about 3 hours before my oncologist appointment. Everything was sta

Today was Mile 4, four years since I was diagnosed. I don't want to call it an anniversary or a cancer-versary because those are things that are usually celebrated. So, Mile 4 it is. It has no inherent emotion, is tied to the outdoors, and is easy to update every year. So, today, I took a 4.6 mile walk on the beach alone with my thoughts. No music, no podcasts, no nothing, just me, the waves, a dog barking on occasion, a kid crying and some tourists. But, inside my head, it w

A pivot changing direction starting one way and going another. Life is full of them, no? I had planned a trip My "celebration of having" on the 4th year of my diagnosis (7/1) a time to be by myself to reflect about myself and to figure out how i've changed and how I want to change But, rain. Wiped out months of excitement months of planning months of dreaming but i'll pivot. it won't stop me July 1 is the day I'll go to the beach I don't care if it rains there a beach is wet

I had a great therapy session today. It's funny, I started off thinking "what am I going to talk about" and ended up being completely inspired. I haven't written about this yet, but this year, for the anniversary of my diagnosis in July, I am going to go camping and hiking in the North Cascades Washington, by myself. I am so excited. I can't wait to be alone and self-reliant in an incredibly beautiful place. With bears (I love bears!). Now, let me digress. Back in December, I

Commando a word that conjures a lot of images an undercover warrior a special forces operative being ready for action It can also mean for men (maybe women too?) no underwear if you go commando you aren't wearing underwear just you, your pants, and freedom But today I want to introduce a new concept. Cancer-Commando What is that? is it a feeling? a battle term? a desire for freedom? some stupid burt-ism? No, my new phrase (yes, I invented it) mean's going sans treatment while

I love nature. I love being out in nature Today, I took a walk in nature. It was a long walk I know I can do it. So I did it. I wasn't afraid to push I'm not afraid, to take a stand, everybody, come take my hand I used all senses Sound, sight, hearing, smell, touch the sky was beautiful, and a deep blue Yo, listen up here's a story, about a little guy who lives in a blue world There's nothing that fills me up like a walk in the woods the energy from the trees the songs of the

Note: I submitted the below as an article for Cure Magazine Imagine driving your car 80 mph, directly into a wall. That's a cancer diagnosis. You’ve been coasting down the highway, listening to some tunes, maybe eating junkie snacks, and you run into a wall. In an instant, everything changes. Your speed, your attitude, everything. It all changes. It’s arresting, whatever metaphor we use. The hamster wheel stopping, the car crash, etc. It’s a catalyst. And for those who unders

Friends not always easy but should it be hard? What is a friend? they are there when you need them they drop everything they run they don't ask there is no me in friend Do friends leave you? i guess sometimes What should we expect from a friend? I expect them to love me like I love them to be there for me as i am for them to not disappear when things get tough Are acquaintances friends? no, they are acquaintances (how do you spell that anyway? (and no, Romy, don't say T-H-A-T

Windows all different kinds glass, time, mindsets, opportunities, threats So many kinds they open, they close, they slide, they creak, they can be clean they can be dirty they let us see through or they block our view they allow us to see things we can't always see But, today, windows are a metaphor... for time For all of us, we are living in windows for some, those windows are open and stay open for others, the windows have a mind of their own and we can't control how long t

That number, that crazy small number in the title, is the % of mass that Earth is in the OBSERVABLE universe. Yup, we are so small that we are insignificant. Literally. We are smaller than an ant is to Shaquille O'Neal. But, if you asked us, we would be completely focused on ourselves, as if the universe revolved around us, as opposed to us being irrelevant. We are so arrogant as a species. But, we are infinitesmal. Hence, our search for meaning. I've been thinking about thi

Yes, I have cancer. No, that's not for you. It's for me. Why? I can't admit that to myself. I live my life like I don't, like I never will. Am I being true to myself? NOPE. So what does it mean? It means I am still Burt, but just a different Burt. I still dream big but my dreams might stay dreams. I still act big and I try to keep doing that. Have I quieted down? no. Has my energy changed? Yes. But has it changed in a bad way? No, it's changed in a different way. I am still m

Some of you might have seen that OpenAI just released a video about how I use ChatGPT in my healthcare. I haven't been too shy about sharing it! A concept they really latched onto, was the concept of "Burtness". My definition of Burtness is: Burtness is a state of mind. It's the concept of how much like myself I am feeling. I think I am generally happy, have lots of energy, talk a lot, get excited by things, love helping other people, am curious, am creative and try to be as

Why is AI useful to you and those around you for your healthcare? Read the image! Note: This is not really a post about me but it does use my data as examples. It's intended to help people understand how to use AI to better help themselves and those they care about. It's more of a how-to. I wanted to warn you so you can stop reading here, but if you are interested, keep reading and share it with anyone that it can help. It's long. I am not recommending that AI can replace you

What does the year ahead hold for me? ANTICIPATION Why? Is it making me wait? Is it keeping me waiting? Thanks Heinz. No, as my tattoo says, Just be. My anticipation is for one second from now. I focus on what's in front of me, not the things that are days, weeks and months away. Am I looking back at years end? Nope, what's past is past. But, what I have learned from my past is carrying me to my future. Without my past, how can I make my future my anticipation-worthy? So what

The crowd starts streaming into the arena Look, there's happy there's sad theres frustrated, and there's mad there's jealousy, and fulfillment there's envy and surprise and excited and shy and worried and confused. So many groups streaming into the arena They get their food, take off their coats, and get comfortable, expecting a long, drawn out battle. Just a boxing ring in the middle of it all. The lights come down, there's a hush; an audible lowering of volume A lone person

drip, drip, drip the iv infuses me with the liquids i need to live longer the hydration fluids the amino acids, the building blocks of protein that I learned about in high school, to protect my kidneys and then the radiation. the kind of thing people spend years avoiding, wear suits to protect themselves, and use measurers to ensure safety. yes, that enters me. It nukes my tumors. The PRRT is supposed to help stabilize me. it's stopping my body from doing what my body natural

Not sure why, but lately sleep has been more of an issue. It could be the fact that I am taking more on at work (I've been here a year!), the radiation, the weather, who knows. But whatever it is, I don't love it. I fall asleep pretty easily. I usually meditate at night (I know, i know, but it helps me) and don't have a problem drifting off. But, I am waking up more. And not only am I waking up more, but now I wake up with what we affectionately call "monkey mind", where my m

Note: NANETs is the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society for oncologists and surgeons that specialize in NETs. About 6 months ago, I got the NANETs newsletter that was asking for abstracts to present at their annual symposium this weekend (10/23-10/25) in Austin, Tx. At the time, I had 5 minutes to spare and decided to send a speaking idea about how patients with NETs are using AI in their care. Now, NANETs is NOT for patients. It's for medical oncologists, surgeons, r

Unfortunately, my Yom Kippur walk in the woods (WITW) tradition is slightly delayed this year. I had my 2nd radiation treatment on last...

NETRF, one of the premier organizations in the Neuroendocrine Tumor world, just put out an interview with me in their latest newsletter....