Thanks for writing, sj.

I hope you’re happy with your medical care.

I'll have more opinions after the endoscopic surgery when it's over. I hope it's not delayed -- but anything can happen: shortage of ICU nurses, another emergency, and so on.

This surgery requires the presence of an ENT specialist, an anaesthesiest, in addition to the neurosurgeon, and an operating room: so getting everyone scheduled is not easy. I was told that I would get a phone call at 11 a.m. from pre-op today -- but it's 7:30 p.m. and the call still hasn't come.

You're almost going on 10 years with the astrocytoma - so your doctors and you must be onto some

serious magic that is keeping you going. How scary that must be -- and to still be a husband, father, and teacher.

We've contributed over the years briefly to one another's teaching comments. Being a teacher is so intense -- especially when you are caring and serious and understand how important it is, which you clearly do

Thank you for sharing a bit of your story with me.

Your attitude is amazing.

Feel free to share my story with your students -- but I don't think they'd be that interested.

If you were teaching English, though, or writing, I'd say to the kids: Take the biggest problem you have, whatever it is -- friends, parents, abuse, bullying -- and write a one-person comedy about the problem. It will give you perspective and motivation to win.