Free and Clear

We are back from St.Jude and all is well. 

Everything went smoothly apart from the fact that Phoebe greatly missed her Daddy. While we were there she had a visit with her transplant physician and nurse practitioner, she was excited to see them both and they were happy with how well she is doing. Despite the chemo that Phoebe has and continues to receive, her immune function tests are normal, which I believe came as a pleasant surprise. She has a lot of healthy, cancer fighting and very important t-cells. Great news. 

She had her bone marrow aspirate, a lumbar puncture and an MRI. She was sedated and woke up happy and ready to eat. She munched on sushi in the hospital cafeteria and got right back to playing as soon as possible. Mae came to Memphis with us and I am so glad she did. She brought the joy and helped Phoebe deal with her difficult and long day of tests. 

All results are negative. Phoebe's spinal fluid is clear, her bone marrow is MRD (minimal residual disease) negative, her belly is free and clear of disease. She has 100% donor cells in her bone marrow and blood. No mass, no cancer, no leukemia. Great news. So much to be thankful for. 

The MRI does show iron overload on Phoebe's liver and a kidney that is still very much atrophied and may never recover. These are all things, in addition to the bigger and scarier things, that we will continue to monitor with the help of her amazing team. 

Our next round of tests will be done at St.Jude in January. In many ways it is easier to travel to Memphis for these tests as they know Phoebe and her unique situation best. We are always greeted with such warmth and kindness from everyone we meet. True Southern hospitality at its finest in a place I am so thankful exists. We love St.Jude. 

Another three months of life is upon us. Three months without cancer with hope for a lifetime. 

Happy Thanksgiving y'all, there is so much to be thankful for.