And That's That

The news is good after 2 1/2 years of waiting. No more cancer.

Uh, Buh-bye.

A few weeks ago I had my cancer testing done, a round of injections that gave me a run for my money. Translation: I felt super crappy for two weeks. Nothing like the original cancer testing and treatment, but still not fun.

I had to wait two whole weeks to get the results. Visions of another round of radioactive iodine went through my head again. In the last few years, I've already endured 4 surgeries and procedures as a result of the first dose, let alone the pre-radiation fun where my thyroid was ripped out of my neck. I sure as heck didn't want to go through another dose. Who knows what that would do to me.

I pummeled my doc with a thousand questions after she gave me the news. Am I at a greater risk for other types of cancers? Will my kids get it? Can it resurface? 

The answers: No. Probably not. And rarely.

I breathed a sigh of relief and learned I would not have to do anymore testing for five years. Five years! Woo-hoo! I barreled out of there with a 2 1/2 year load lifted off my back.

I have to admit, it didn't last long before I started crying on the way home. I know my cancer journey has been a drop in the bucket compared to others. I started thinking about those that endured much greater hardships and then about those who lost their lives. Just like I was thrust into the autism community, I also have a new found awareness of the cancer community and the desperate need for better solutions. Let's make sure there is help and funding available for our littlest fighters by signing a petition for funding. It just takes a few minutes. https://stbaldricks.capwiz.com/stbaldricks/issues/alert/?alertid=61990546.

And finally, I have to remember what my family has been through. I never went into great detail with my 6-year-old, but I think he worried anyway. It's in his nature. When I felt sick after my testing, he wrote me this note:

Thanks to Brenner for being my rock. Thanks to my kids for giving me hugs and kisses. Thanks to my mom and dad for taking me to my surgeries and helping with the kids. It takes a village to raise kids, but I guess it also takes a village to kick cancer to the curb. We did it.