I was told I would never live this long, that I would be lucky to see 4.5 years. Today, 14 years ago, I was diagnosed with a honker of a brain tumor, and four brain surgeries later, I'm still here. It's an endless saga of treatments, research, medicine, fear, bloodwork, MRI's, seizures, new opinions, old drugs, new drugs. Living the brain tumor lifestyle, rather than fighting against it, has given me so much more insight into what might be possible. I remember thinking, "As soon as I get rid of this tumor, I can go back to living a normal life." But somewhere along the way, I realized ..read more

  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jessica Oldwyn (@jessica_oldwyn ..read more

This is a lazy way to update the blog by posting my Instagram post. I just want anyone who comes to the blog to know that I'm still here. If a person writes a comment on the blog it goes straight to my email. Other ways to check in are Instagram (clearly), which directly posts to my Facebook account. Apparently, I have 2 Facebook accounts, which can't be merged - bummer - so I don't even really know how to navigate that.  Anyway, thank you for checking in!  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jessica Oldwyn (@jessica_oldwyn ..read more

For the longest time, I have shoved my feelings, my pain, and my hurt to the deepest recesses of my soul. I stopped blogging because I couldn't fathom being vulnerable anymore. My own mental state was too raw, it had become too fragile, frail, even.  I would find myself unable to respond to beautiful texts and emails, I physically couldn't budge to lift a finger to type. That doesn't mean that those words, those messages didn't haunt my psyche. I hated myself for feeling paralyzed. I hated that I would panic about my inablilty to respond to so many special, kind, loving souls that just wa ..read more

I just got my MRI results; they popped up with a "DING" in my cell phone notifications. The scan was over a week ago, and usually it takes much longer for results, so a fast turnaround dropped my heart into my tittle toe. Usually, in the medical world, the faster the results, the more concerning the situation. (Not always, but often in my experience.)  I've been on an experimental drug, and although it clearly seems to be working, you never know when the ball might drop. I mean, I've had to hustle ever since I was diagnosed, ten years ago, so the idea of something really working is comple ..read more

Today is my 10 year DD (diagnosis day). I know I'm not very good at sharing my health status, or managing my social media, but there is such a beauty, and safety, when you slow your external life. Not much has changed with my health, I'm still navigating cancer, and jumping through health hoops, trying to follow my intuition, and fighting for what I feel is right for me. There have been plenty of scares, disappointments, bad news, and I have turned down several treatments as I continue on this journey. Currently I'm hoping that an experimental drug will keep my tumor at bay. I am sorry that ..read more

Thank you so much to all of you who have spread the word about my friend Isabel's situation regarding her immigration situation. In fact, there are currently almost 200,000 signatures on her change.org petition! In case you aren't familiar with my sweet friend, here's her episode from the show My Last Days, which is how I met her in the first place. I will also post my episode at the bottom of the page. Here's a little update... SEP 12, 2019 —  Isabel went before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform today to tell her story and to continue pushing for Congress to find a solution to ..read more