Welcome to Glioblastology: The Book

Together we embark on completing a manuscript

Glioblastology: How We Got Here

In May 2016, I underwent an awake brain surgery to remove a 71mm primary brain tumor; in June 2016, I was diagnosed with glioblastoma, and in October 2016, I launched Glioblastology. In February 2020—yes, just before the world shut down for COVID, I finished the first manuscript of Glioblastology, the book. This manuscript was a stitched-together collection of expanded blog posts, given form to read as a cohesive narrative.

I worked with a literary agent to shop the manuscript, but for the book’s quality with plenty of room for improvement, or its timing, during a period of profound trauma and loss amidst a public health emergency, editors showed interest, but I wasn’t able to find a publishing house with enough enthusiasm to purchase and develop the manuscript for publication. I decided to set the project aside, and I continued to write episodic blog posts, imagining that one day I’d return to the book.

That time is now.

Glioblastology is a wrestling with mortality.

I launched the blog in October 2016 in response to a grim prognosis.

I continued to live.

After a few years of patient advocacy and public speaking, I was motivated to leave a lasting legacy for our kids, and I began composing the manuscript in 2018, completing the first draft early in 2020. You’ve just learned that history.

At the end of 2023, I was diagnosed with recurrence, and the book project entered my mind. Recurrence brought a new prognosis, “I’d say nine to twelve months with treatment, and I think you’d be on the positive side,” one physician told me. “I think we can get another couple of years,” another physician reported, “But probably not another eight years.”

I am now approaching a year of treatment for this recurrence, and our last MRI scan showed a concerning area that may be new tumor growth.

With the same urgency that launched this blog in 2016, this year, 2025, is the year I’ll finish this manuscript and release it into the world—either another agent or editor will show interest, or I’ll simply self-publish; I invite you to join me. For paying subscribers, we’ll workshop chapters together, I’ll release draft chapters each month, and we’ll find opportunities to connect in subscriber-only chats and live streams.

2025 is the year of Glioblastology, the book! Following is my original introduction from the 2020 manuscript. This paves the way for the work we’ll do together this year. Thank you for being a paid subscriber. I’ll continue to write episodic posts available to everyone. If paying is a barrier to reading, just shoot me a note, and I’ll happily gift you a paid subscription. Without further delay, I welcome you to Glioblastology: A Philosopher Documents his Life with Brain Cancer.

Glioblastology, Original Introduction

With very light editing, here is the original Introduction to the manuscript. I’m really excited to share this! Only a handful of select readers have read this before. Please feel free to share your thoughts, feedback, and suggestions in the comments!

Introduction: Inside My Head

“Adam.”

The surgeon’s voice is steady and calm.

“Adam,” he calls again.

My head is clamped to the operating table, held in place with three screws drilled into my skull and a large clamp that circles my head like a halo. I watch the monitor directly ahead, displaying my surgeon’s hands cut away tumor from healthy brain tissue.

“Adam, I have removed a large portion of your brain tumor. I am able to continue removing more tumor, but this comes at the risk of permanent left sided paralysis. Or, we can conclude the procedure now, protecting most of your motor function, but leaving tumor in the margins of the surgical cavity.”

“Adam.”

He grasps my shoulder.

“What do you want to do?”