The best has yet to come

Well, if there is an award for "worst blogger" I'm certainly in the running. 

As most of you are aware, I spent the last month in Uganda. I was so happy to get out of Chicago and back to a place that makes me so happy. Thus, while I was away, I had no interest in blogging as I wanted to forget about everything I had left back at home.

Upon my return earlier this week, my mom texted that she was sick and couldn't pick me up from the airport, so it was a harsh reality to come back to. For some reason, I really wanted my mom there to greet me -- I wanted everything to be normal again. Luckily, my cab driver was from Chad and so we had a delightful conversation about African politics, so in the end it wasn't all bad :)

Yesterday we headed to what will *hopefully* be my mom's LAST chemo treatment. Next week she'll have a CT scan and if there is no detectable cancer (complete response), her oncologist will decide whether to do one more cycle (three treatments) or release her from treatment and start the surveillance process. If there is pleural effusion (cancerous fluid around the lung) or signs of tumor, it is a wildly different conversation, but one we do not anticipate having.

If my mom is done with treatment, she'll be monitored on a monthly basis via the CA-125 blood test and a quarterly CT scan. For late stage ovarian, they do not use the word "remission," instead they use "learning to live with cancer." Her last CA-125 was 11, so that is a remarkable drop from the beginning of this journey when she was in the 800s. Next week she will receive her final CA-125 count and that will be her baseline moving forward, so any significant jump (+20) could indicate the cancer has returned.

So, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm feeling very optimistic and I look forward to my mom's recovery from the chemo. These last few rounds have really hit her hard and I'm not sure she can tolerate any more chemo. I cannot wait until she gets her strength and spirit back. I know we're going to have a good summer together before we determine next steps.

While we still have uncertainty ahead, I have confidence that we are prepared for what's to come. This has been an absolute nightmare, but it has brought my mom and I much closer, and it has strengthened relationships with many of you. I could not have gotten through these past seven months without all of your love and support. Those early weeks were so difficult and I wasn't sure we'd make it to this point, but we did and it feels so damn good. 

Last weekend, one of the most important people in my life got engaged and when I received the news, I felt genuine happiness and excitement for her. It was at this point that I realized I'm back. My mind has cleared, I'm reconnecting with my true self, and I can once again appreciate my life.

One of my favorite quotes has always been "the best has yet to come," but for the past few months I stopped believing in those words. Now, I once again believe the truth in that saying. Yes, there will be difficult decisions ahead and the inevitable day when my mom's cancer returns, but we will once again take it day by day and do what we need to do. 

Please send us positive thoughts as we enter this final phase -- I wish for nothing more than to hear that there is no detectable cancer. We meet with the oncologist next Friday (June 6th), so I will send an update over the weekend.

Love to each and every one of you.