My Profile

Lori, My Partner

My partner of 14 years, Lori, was diagnosed with cancer, and passed away 2-1/2 years later, on July 9, 2010.

We were both engineers in Silicon Valley. When Lori moved to Silicon Valley we both worked at the same company. From almost the first date we became partners. Together we worked, we vacationed, and made a home.

In Memory

Every day I cook in the kitchen, I say never again.

Lori wanted to warn and help her friends and family avoid her tragedy. But we never figured out how.

Through cooking I give my own meaning and memory to Lori's struggle.

Warning

How did we miss the warnings? Lori had a severe phobia of doctors and dentists, and before meeting, she hadn't been to a dentist or doctor since childhood. So early detection really wasn't an option for Lori.

I believe that, for Lori, prevention was the only thing that would have worked, but also in every case, that prevention would be preferable to medicine. We had friends and colleagues die from cancer, yet no one warned us, specifically, to eat whole plants, get plenty of sun, activity and rest, and avoid junk, processed products, meat and dairy. But unless practical and fun, the warning might not have done any good.

My Cooking

I'm an amateur cook, not counting low paying high school and college jobs. Without any sisters, and single, I kept a few cookbooks handy. Silicon Valley is mostly about restaurant food, and I only started cooking every day when my partner Lori was diagnosed with cancer.

Farmer's Markets, Whole Foods Market, and a weekly farm Community Supported Agriculture produce box supplied our kitchen.

Kris Carr and Dr. John McDougall became our food heroes.

Help Me

I'd like to stop cancer from ever happening. More than 50 years and hundreds of billions in cancer research failed Lori when she needed it. Prevention is nothing more than rediscovering what we used to know, back when cancer was uncommon.

I don't have all the answers, but I'm trying to figure it out one meal at a time.

This blog is for all of our family, friends, neighbors and colleagues, to remember, warn, hopefully tempt, and ask for your help.

Good years and health are priceless.