Six Month Checkup: No Bad News = Good News!

Well I went in for my 6-month check up today with my oncologist, following last week's MRI.  I am pleased to announce that overall, the report is a good one.  The "abnormalities" i.e. tumors, remain unchanged, or possibly smaller... but show NO growth.  This is GOOD NEWS!  Ideally we would like to see them gone completely, but there is a very strong possibility that what shows up on the MRI is actually scar tissue.  These "abnormalities" are not necessarily active lymphoma cells, but unfortunately there is no real way to tell.  Nevertheless, my doctor seemed pleased that the disease is not progressing, and went as far to say that it is *possible* that it is gone completely--which is what I'm choosing to believe! ;-)

I asked a few questions about some of the things that showed up in my initial diagnosis, specifically some unusual looking spots that showed up in the original CT scan I had taken of my abdomen a year ago.  My doctor thought it would be best to repeat the scan to follow up.  So I will have the pleasure of drinking that delightful barium "smoothie" in a couple of weeks (August 26th, if you really want to know).  In addition, even though I'm under 40, she recommended that I have a yearly mammogram since I had the lump in my breast last summer, which led to the biopsy that really triggered this whole journey, so that will happen next week as well.  Though I'm not thrilled about undergoing more testing and having to worry about potential results, I'm happy that we live in a time and place where we have the medical technology to discover and successfully treat so many diseases that would have been considered fatal decades ago.

Which leads me to talk about my fundraising for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, which is going EXTREMELY well, thanks to many of you, my dear loved ones and friends, who are showing your love and support in droves.  As of this evening, you have helped me raise $2720.00 in less than two weeks!  This money will go directly towards aiding cancer patients and their families, as well as cancer research.   This is enormously fulfilling to know that I am giving back to the organization that has done so much for me!

So once again, a HUGE thank you to all of you who have already donated!  If you haven't done it yet, please consider making a donation--ALL amounts are greatly appreciated, no matter how small!  It only takes a couple of minutes, and it will affect the lives of so many.  Please help me continue to work towards (and hopefully even surpass) my goal of raising $5000.

As for my marathon training, it is going very well and we are starting very slowly.  This weekend our "long" run will be 3-5 miles on Saturday, and I will be speaking to our team and sharing my story after the run at our Honoree Breakfast.  I am enjoying getting to know my teammates, and hopefully encouraging and inspiring them so that they realize that their commitment and dedication throughout this experience is really making a difference.

Me and a teammate during a Saturday
run along the Campbell Trail.