Good News Wednesday

Our San Francisco trip left smiles on our faces and strawberry margaritas in our tummies! What looked like new tumor growth and active cancer cells was really residual swelling from the radiation. Heather's MRI displayed the swelling had all but disappeared, so no new tumor growth. The MRS is a good baseline for her next visit, which does not happen for two months - April 21 to be exact.

We had all been on pins-and-needles for the last month after being told what Heather's MRI suggested. I think we all prepared ourselves for bad news and had been thinking about what the next step forward would be. We did not talk about it as much as think about it. Because only positive thoughts enter into our lives, we could not allow our fears to take control. But when we all sat in Dr. Chang's office on Wednesday, our legs were shaking, our smiles at bit forced. Then Dr. Chang wheeled around in her chair with her smile, and I think we knew, but just had to hear the words: Your MRI looks good.

So what does this mean? It means Heather still has her tumor, but it does not appear to be growing. That may not sound like great news, but it is. Heather will always have this stupid tumor and it will someday start to grow again. The cancer cells will become active again; however, if she is on her Temador and it starts to grow, the Temador is designed to attack it. If the tumor grows while she is on Temador, the treatment will be changed. However, so far so good on Temador. And the radiation is designed to work for several months after the treatment ended. So, the swelling was most likely from the radiation (normal) and the radiation could still be killing off some of the tumor, creating dead cells.

She is finally being weaned from her steroids. Once again, we have found some humor in the face of something not in our control. Heather has lead the way to acceptance, and I guess humor is one way to deal with it. Her puffy face and extra weight gain from her high dosage will soon disappear - well maybe in about three months.
Of all the things that Heather has gone through, the puffy face - and maybe the moustache that came with it - has bothered her the most. Mike, her boyfriend of 2 - 1/2 years, has been by her side and has helped to let her know she is beautiful know matter what. Every time I look at her, I see beauty, but I am her mother.

Heather's blood work is fabulous. She has that checked every week. All her doctors - in fact all the medical team treating her - is so proud of her attitude and her inner strength. She has emerged as a role model for anyone who is facing a life-threatening disease. She continues to view this as a bump - OK, a mountain - in the road of life, but she is going to drive over it to see what lies ahead. We remain incredibly proud of her and thankful that she is our daughter.