We arrived at UCSF Parnassus at 5AM, just South of the Golden Gate Park. On our way we picked up Tinna’s sister that is staying in a local hotel for the week.

After surgery she is expected to remain in the hospital from 4-8 days

5:40 AM - Tinna was checked in & started preparing for surgery.

8:00 AM - Tinna was taken into the operating room. Surgery will take approximately 8 hrs.

12:30 PM - UCSF Text message stated Tinna & the procedure are doing well.

4:30 PM - UCSF message: Tinna is out of surgery

5:45 PM - Surgery went great! We are with Tinna and I spoke with Dr. El-Sayed over the phone. He shared the following info:

Tumor was fully removed with good margins
Some scrapping of the left eye occurred but will not have any impact
Sadly all smelling nerves had to be removed on both sides due to the size of the tumor. Tinna has lost all ability to smell & taste things.
The Cribriform Plate “brain doorway” was opened to ensure no tumor growth has spread. Everything checked out good. A spinal drain was installed to facilitate proper healing.
Everything was sent out for additional testing.
Tinna will spend several more days in the hospital to ensure proper healing takes place.

Next steps once out of the hospital:

Schedule radiation
Evaluate the needs for chemotherapy

*Note: The daily blog updates will happen everyday around noon. The bottom of this page will take you to the next or previous one.

Surgery Day - 5/18/26

Day 1 of Recovery - 5/19/26

The Hospital - UCSF