My daughter Mamie, a Googler, works 50-60 hour weeks — and longer. It’s the way she has always been: she won’t stop until she’s done everything on her list, and she’s not satisfied until she’s done everything as perfectly as possible. Despite her very significant work obligations, she has managed to do her job and to support me magnificently.

Yesterday, we got up at 6:45 and left the house at 7:15 AM for my radiation treatment. Then we waited for another 40 minutes for my radiation oncologist to show up for work, then we waited another half hour to meet with him. Mamie just got out her laptop and worked. Next, we headed for the lab so I could have blood drawn. If you have ever been to an outpatient lab at 9 AM, you know that the place is filled with people who have been fasting all night (often, this is necessary to obtain accurate blood glucose levels; there are probably other reasons). Another hour of waiting. We finally got to breakfast at 10:15. That was the fun part - a leisurely breakfast together is a rare pleasure. A pain pill, a latte, and a plate of huevos rancheros (protein=good) had me feeling like my old self.

Then she drove me to Stanford. We talked the whole way. What a pleasure it is to engage a lively, enthusiastic, intelligent, educated, motivated, optimistic 25 year old like Mamie — not that there are too many out there like Mamie.

At 5:00, there she was to pick me up after class. She drove me to San Francisco, where Judy picked me up and Mamie went on to her dance class. To make up for her lost hours of work, Mamie worked into the night at home.

There is no medicine in the world that can do for my soul what Mamie has done. I salute you, my daughter, my friend, my peer, for your kindness, patience, dedication, intelligence, warmth, and good humor. Life with you is such joy.

(Photo by Joi Ito)