All done

Day ten is complete and although ten days of radiation is but a drop in the ocean compared to what some children endure, we are done. And happy to put it behind us.

We are closing another chapter as we make our way forward with hope.

We had no idea what to expect from radiation. What it would look like, how Phoebe would cope, and so as we have always done, we followed her lead. The reasons behind needing this radiation weighed heavily on our minds when we started all of this. The relapse, the mass that was at one point taking over and threatening her life, the pure fear that it would appear again, but Phoebe managed to trump all of these thoughts. She brought the joy.

She greeted each new face we met with a smile and thoroughly enjoyed playing before each treatment. She soaked up the attention they gave her and looked forward to seeing them each day. She discovered a new playroom, where we also found what seemed to be almost all of the hospital's baby dolls and she got back to playing there as soon as was possible, even when she was still wobbly from sedation. She did not let these weeks and what they brought slow her down. In fact, instead of slow down, she thrived, growing over one centimeter and gaining close to two pounds. All the while giving cancer another swift kick to the curb.

I have learned a lot from Phoebe these past two weeks.

What is next? In two weeks, Phoebe will have a bone marrow aspiration and the results of that will determine what treatment, if any, will be needed. In the meantime, she has a few doctors to visit, most regarding follow up from her transplant as because we were busy dealing with the relapse, we never made it to these appointments.

And in the meantime out of the hospital, we will just enjoy life, the fresh air, our time together, perhaps even some free time. Maybe we will take in some Memphis sight seeing.