Skip to main content

YAY! Happy Cinco de Mayo! And Brain Tumor news!

So, for Cinco de Mayo I got some great news from my doctors. This post is going to be short because everyone is going nuts wanting to hear the details!

My dad is probably going to give me more details because he's getting the full report as I only got a one page print-out.... BUT....

The tumor has NOT grown, it has stopped "infiltrating" the surrounding brain tissue, meaning that it's not invading my normal tissue anymore.

The normal brain tissue that was swollen post-surgery has now gone down and that leaves a gap between my tissue and the tumor, which is good. (It's like a castle moat!)

Then, also, behind my tumor it has receded away from the brain tissue as well.

AND.... it SHRUNK! it has decreased a small amount since my post-surgery MRI, meaning that the radiation and chemo did not just make it stop growing, it made it SMALLER! Whoop!

This sometimes happens, but it NOT common, and therefore I did BETTER than expected! Whoop!

I start my maintenance chemo next week, which will make sure that this bad boy stays frozen (not literally frozen, just no activity) and it could mean that it shrinks more, which I will hope for since I have already shown that I am an A+ cancer fighter, I got a 101%!!!

This MRI set the baseline for my maintenance chemo, and in about 2.5 months, will have another MRI and a PET scan to see how my chemo levels are maintaining what this initial "WHAM BAM" did to the tumor! If I continue to do well, I could have maintenance chemo for as little as 6 months. If not, up to 15-18 months of more chemo.

SO, cross your fingers that I continue to show cancer who's boss, and that a restful 6 weeks in my home state will enhance my joy, because I CAN'T WAIT to be with my family, friends, and loved ones and have a big ole "Cancer Can SUCK IT" party!

Many thanks to my family for carting me to radiation every day and loving me from afar when they couldn't cart me, to Jason for all he has done, which is too much to list, and to my coworkers for taking their own time to work harder in my absence so I could fight cancer instead, for everyone who has reached out and prayed for me, for all the gifts, flowers, cards and well wishes, for everyone who is reading this, and for anyone out there who is also fighting! I love you! My good news is your good news in EVERY WAY.

So far the score is: Danielle 1, Cancer 0... One less thing to worry about!



Comments

  1. BrandiMay 5, 2011 at 2:26 PM

    that is amazing Danielle! But I would have never guessed otherwise, you always excel at everything you do, including cancer fighting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SaraMay 5, 2011 at 3:05 PM

    YAHHHHHHH!!! Im SOOO Happy!!!! xoxoxoxoxox

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownMay 5, 2011 at 5:00 PM

    Danielle,
    One more miracle!! and you deserve all of them that you have received because of the joy and love you give to all who know you.
    Love ya,
    Aunt Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMay 8, 2011 at 7:53 PM

    :) So happy to hear your news. I am looking forward to hearing many more updates just like this. Hope to see you at some point during your home visit. When is your trip planned for?

    Love,

    Alecia

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Butterfly Day

( The title of the last blog post indicated that I needed a simple name for this day. I can't remember if someone suggested it outright, or whether they said something to make me think of it, but either way, the name I now use is Butterfly Day. Torin painted on a picture of a butterfly at school on the very day his mother passed, and his teachers had just so happened to put his name and date on it.) Another year has passed, and it simultaneously seems like a short time and a long time. I do still write letters to Danielle, but just haven't been posting them here. The one I just wrote took a lot out of me, in fact, so this probably won't be a long update. When I took over the blog, one of the things that felt important in continuing this legacy was to document not only the grief process, but the process of healing.  Overall, on a day-by-day basis, I'd say I have come to terms with my loss. By that, I mean that, except for days like today, and on a few rare other occasion...
Post a Comment
Read more

Letter In A Bottle

Today, on what would be her 38th birthday, I wrote a letter to Danielle. It's the first such letter I've written, and it was cathartic. I wasn't sure whether I would just paste it here, or just paste parts of it here, or write something else entirely, but I've decided to share it in its unabridged entirety. It re-treads some ground that I've already covered in this blog, but this was written to Danielle; those were not. Most typos are inside jokes or turns of phrase. Happy birthday, Danielle. I love you. First, foremost, and always. My love for you is unconditional, unquestionable, and unquantifiable. I miss you. Lort, how I miss you. I miss your smile, your wit, your kindness, your grace, your strength, your care, your laugh, your sillies . I miss my partner and companion. I miss my babymama. I miss my wiff. I cry every day. I have a little ritual - my specific time for grieving you. When I put Torin to bed, I play him the last video you made. I can watch the video...
Post a Comment
Read more

I need a name for this day that neither cutesy nor grim

Danielle Louise Joanette-Kluck passed from this life one year ago today. As has become a cathartic personal tradition on milestone dates, I've written her a letter, which I share with you below. Danielle, my love, It’s been one year since I held your hand and felt you squeeze mine for the last time. Though only the first of many, it’s still surreal to think about. I went back and read the blogs I wrote and the other letters I’ve written to you (some of which I’ve also published as blogs), and it very easily brought back feelings and memories of the past year. There are a number of moments that I remember like they were yesterday, and that I’ll likely never forget. It seems like a good time to take stock. How are Torin and I doing, one year out? There are a few different axes upon which we can measure, but I think I’m going to upgrade the overall answer from my frequent reply of “okay most days” to “pretty good on average” . I’ve hit a stride in my single-parenthood and feel more c...
Post a Comment
Read more