Great News

Well, its been a nerve wracking couple of months, but today we finally got the results of all the testing and Grandma Davis (my little sweetheart) has no new cancer.

It all started in January when we noticed a red spot on her right temple that seemed to be growing. When it got to be size of the end of my thumb I suggested that she go see the same dermatologist that I had been seeing about some stuff on my face. I just needed to shave more often (just kidding), but the dermatologist was mystified by the growth on mom's face. He took a small biopsy, but after waiting for weeks for the results of that, the lab was unable to say for sure what it was. As it turned out, they thought it was t-cell lymphoma, but did not want to say until they were sure. So, they asked for a bigger sample. The dermatologist then decided to just remove the entire growth, cut it in half and send one part to one lab and the other part to a different lab. I am very grateful that he just removed the growth. I think his policy of shoot first, ask questions later might have saved grandma a lot of problems. If he had not just removed it, that type of cancer is very aggressive, so who knows what might have happened. I am also certain that the blessing she was given , where Heavenly Father blessed her that she would be healed and that she should be comforted, was the most important reason that today we are celebrating the good news.

After the two labs still could not say for sure what the growth was, the specimens were sent to the Mayo Clinic. That took several more weeks and then she was referred to an oncologist at the Cancer Clinic. That is an intimidating place. They take every case very seriously and there are many people there in various stages of being treated for some very serious forms of cancer.

Then after having a PET/CT scan and a CT scan followed a few days later by a bone marrow biopsy, we waited for another couple of weeks to see what the doctor would say. I actually felt pretty certain that it would be OK. Your mother and grandmother likes to know as much as possible so she read as much as she could about it and got a little more worried the longer we waited. But, she never let it stop her from doing all that she normally did. We also certainly appreciated all the concern of her children and family, with all the fasting and prayers.

But, today we got the news that she has no more new cancer. What relief and a blessing.

She still has to have radiation treatments to insure that the cancer is completely eradicated from the place on her face. She will meet with the radiologist next week to work out the schedule, but the doctor thought that she could probably complete the treatment within two weeks. So, she is still planning on going to girls rough camp in July. She will also still need to meet with the oncologist every three months and have the same PET/CT scans she had before every six months for the next two or three years. If all goes well, in five years the doctor says she could say she is cancer free.

So, onward and upward!