Today my heart is full. Last week my daughter Alex had two routine check-ups at Seattle Children's Hospital. To give you a little history on the matter, at 18 months old, Alex was diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer called Unilateral Retinoblastoma. {unilateral meaning the tumor was only found in the left eye and not both}. To make a long story short, today Alex is cancer free and living life to its fullest though we still see her oncologist and ophthalmologist twice a year for routine exams to make sure that there are no new tumor cells present. And thank goodness this last appointment went very well -- doctors found no traces of tumor cells, yeah for Alex.
On Wednesday, Alex had minor surgery -- an eye exam under anesthesia {EUA}. Alex has had several of these so she knows the routine. While waiting for the surgeon she found ways to keep busy.
On Thursday we were back at Children's to see the oncologist.
On this day, Alex decided to be a superhero and wore her cape the entire day.
Superhero Alex getting her weight check.
Superhero Alex with Dr. Pendergrass the Oncologist.
Superhero Alex has amassed a hefty surgical history. We were told by a nurse that some children have several folders so this isn't so bad {my heart goes out to all of those families}.
There are so many families, organizations and hospitals that need support to help fight cancer. Here are a few charitable organizations that we proudly support.
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation is committed to finding a cure for all types of cancers.
Super Sibs is a foundation that supports siblings of children with cancer. They do all sorts of amazing things to make sure the sibling never feels left out.
Switching subjects. Last but certainly not least, my daughter Sammy went to her very first Girl Scouts meeting yesterday. The gist of Girl Scouts is to empower young girls and this yellow Daisy badge is her pride and joy making her feel confident as ever. Sammy came home from her meeting and said, "Mommy, I'm proud of me." Oh my heart just melted. My only response, "And I am proud of you too." I'm proud of both of my girls.
I'm so happy for your whole family Maya. This is a great day!
ReplyDeleteWould you mind if I repost this on Teacher Tom tomorrow morning?
Wow, this is the best blog post I've ever read! So very happy for Alex, for all of you. I can't help but to cry. Alex IS a super hero.
ReplyDeleteTom, you are more than welcome to repost on your blog. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteCheryl, I never thought I'd blog about Alex because it's such a personal story. After last week, I was happy as ever and thought this wouldn't be such a "downer" post afterall but rather an uplifting one so I decided to share Alex's story. Thanks so much for your comment and continued support. It truly means a lot -- more than you know.
Happy of course about Alex. Great news. While it's only twice a year now, I bet those days (and the anxiety leading up) are heartwrenching. Gulp.
ReplyDeleteAs for your little girl scout - her scout leaders are proud of her too! "Hooray for Girl Scouts, Hooray for Girl Scouts....." and Sammy can sing the rest. A joy to have in our troop.
Anne Istafanous
What a momentous day for you all. Huggs to all. We love you much.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the good news.
ReplyDeleteWow, it made my day to read about superhero Alex. She's my hero, too. I found your blog through Teacher Tom--love that blog, and I love yours, too. Thanks for this window into your life. Peace from VA.
ReplyDeleteShe is a super hero. I am so glad she has been healed. I love your pictorial documentation of your day. I thought her file at the hospital looked huge too. I am so sad when children suffer from such a horrible disease.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful..... I read your blog via Teacher Tom from a post on facebook. My son Charlie lost his right eye to unilateral Retinoblastoma. Now cancer free, he goes through life with the same enthusiasm that Alex has. Congrats to both of your girls.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading. I'm still amazed by how many children have had this "rare" form of cancer. I'm glad to hear that Chsrlie is happy and healthy.
Delete