"Excellent"

"It looks excellent!" Tara said to me as she was talking to the oncologist on our trip home from Baltimore for Henry's MRI. The relief was palpable. The day itself was not so stressful, in fact Henry was a trooper - hardly complaining about not being able to eat all morning - but the weeks and months leading up to this moment, knowing it was coming, afraid for the results, yet hopeful, but wary...We'd prepared for lukewarm news. The first read of the scan reports that all of the cancer that previously surrounded the lining of Henry's brain is gone. In addition, there is no recurrence at the original tumor site. The areas on his spine that were noted on his original MRI remain, but look smaller and less significant. It is unclear if they represent cancer cells or something less ominous like scarring or inflammation.

This quickly crystallized in my head to mean that the chemotherapy is working brilliantly. We will continue with the high-dose treatment as planned after some follow up testing next week. Other conclusions washed over me as we continued the drive home. The odds for Henry's survival go up. The chance of needing radiation therapy go down, sparing him the threat of brain damage or other dysfunctions. As difficult as the next phase of chemotherapy will be, we'll have the comfort of knowing, not just guessing, that its working. Sheaves of worry lifted from my shoulders as I considered it all. Tears in my eyes, but why? Just happy I guess. We were braced for harsh reality and got handed another chance.