Well, here's an update for a blog that has sorely been lacking as of late. I've said it before that if there weren't many updates, then it's probably a good thing. On the flip side, a lack of updates seems to concern folks as well.
Marion has completed her internal and external radiation therapy along with her chemotherapy. She has reacted considerably well from all the treatments. She still gets sick now and then (usually after having greasy foods), but all in all, she is doing tremendous. For that, I am thankful for all the prayers, vibes, and well wishes that were sent her way during this time.
I honestly had no idea when all this started if she was first diagnosed how anything would play out. When you hear that life changing diagnosis, how can you be prepared for anything that will follow. I can remember for the 1st week or so just being totally numb from it all. As time has passed, the sting is still there, but considering just how well she has done, I think she'll come out of this pretty well.
Which, frankly, has me a bit amazed. I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything like that, but I was expecting so much worse. She was diagnosed with Stage III B cancer. The fact that the tumor has shrunk to the point where with the naked eye a doctor can't see it now (when it was quite sizable and took over most of the cervix all the way to the pelvic wall), it is just an amazing and miraculous event.
She has a followup with her radiation oncologist sometime this month. From there we'll know just how well (or not) she has done. My hope is we'll hear him say, "Come back in three months." If that's the case, it means that things are going extremely well for her. Conversely, if we hear, "We need to start up treatments again", well, things are a bit bleak. Bleak, but not hopeless, I should say. She's a fighter. And, I know she will do just fine.
Another thing I would be remiss in not mentioning is my long time friend, Andy, and his wife, Shanin, recently (last Saturday) welcomed to the world their daughter, Aubrey. Seeing the pictures and reading his updates have made me so happy for all of them. Aubrey is a precious little angel and brings such happiness to Andy and Shanin. It's not my place to discuss the struggles and hardships they went through, but it's been a long hard road for them. For them to be blessed with a child is another miracle (whether that miracle is science or God is not my place to discuss). I'm just so happy for them all. Aubrey, I feel, will be quite a spoiled child. Marion and I even have a few gifts for her. Frankly, I can not wait to meet her.
So, in summation, the human spirit of survival and everlasting hope is what gets me through most days. I like to think that there is nothing so difficult to overcome. I like to think that with everything that we get thrown our way, we can overcome. No one can take away hope. It's like a flame that forever burns...sometimes brightly, sometimes not. Yet, it's a flame that shines out nonetheless.
Taking a day by day journey through the diagnosis of cancer.
