Welcome!

I'm Stanley (also known as Stasys, affectionately named after my grandfather). Like you, I wear many different hats in life. By day, I work as a program manager for an international non-profit organization based in Washington, DC. Originally from California, I have been blessed to live for work or study in Lithuania, Japan, Kazakhstan, India, Russia, and Tajikistan. I've traveled for work to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Iraq, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and many other places around the globe - making incredible friendships throughout the years along the way. 

 

My life changed quite unexpectedly when, with no prior symptoms, I experienced two grand mal seizures in March 2021. I was shortly thereafter diagnosed with an oligodendroglioma brain tumor (and very quickly, with my family, learned a whole new vocabulary, including the word oligodendroglioma...that one takes some practice). On April 1, 2021, I underwent what is called a craniotomy, a major surgical procedure to remove as much of the tumor as possible. I have since gone through radiation therapy and continue with chemotherapy.

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Prior to my tumor, I had been vegetarian for nearly 30 years and had been studying, practicing, and teaching yoga for over a decade. I'd developed a website during my years based in Kazakhstan called 'Vegetaristan,' and had put a number of videos on YouTube that included healthy recipes and chair-based movement and meditation practices.  After my tumor, I've found even more resolve in my plant-based diet and practices to promote wellness. While my yoga practice looks a bit different now than it did pre-operation, it has provided me tools and inspiration to find more ease, joy, and inspiration in daily life.  

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The purpose of this blog is to compile and share resources that I've found helpful (both pre-cancer and now) that I hope you may find beneficial too - whether you're recently diagnosed, living with cancer, or whether you're supporting a loved one as a friend, family member and/or caregiver. If you've been recently diagnosed, my blog explores my own experiences, including points I wish I'd known prior to diagnosis. 

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The global COVID pandemic has affected each and every one of us in profound ways. Even if it's just for a few minutes of meditation, movement, or simple and healthy eating, it's important to find joy and fulfillment each and every day. It's a conscious practice. 

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If this blog resonates, please reach out - I welcome dialogue.

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