Today was a day of mixed emotions, and it was a hard day to keep it all together. Today was Tyler’s 5th birthday, but Caleb also had 2 very important tests scheduled. The results of his MRI and Lumbar Puncture will tell us if the cancer has started to grow back, or if it has spread to other parts of his body. Either way, those tests will determine the course of his treatment and chances of survival.
James and I got up very early to take Caleb for his MRI. This requires sedation since he can not stay still long enough to complete the whole MRI. While he is sedated they will also do the Lumbar Puncture (spinal tap) to determine if there are any cancerous cells detected in his spinal fluid. So we got Caleb all settled and taken back for the procedure, but then we left to celebrate Tyler’s birthday.
Tyler asked to go shopping for a toy and then go to “Chicken Store” (AKA Chick-fil-a) for lunch. So I tried my hardest to keep my mind of the things I can not change, and enjoy my time with Tyler. We did have fun! I treated him to an Icee, we picked out more than one toy (ha ha!!) and then we went to Chick-fil-a for lunch. I am thankful that I had him to take my mind off things, but I had a pit in my stomach all day.
That afternoon James and I were set to meet with Caleb’s Neuro-Oncologist, who specializes in researching AT/RT. We knew we would hear the results of the MRI and hear about the tumor board’s discussion of Caleb’s treatment plan.
At about 4:15pm we arrived at E-Clinic (The brain tumor clinic at St. Jude). They escorted us to a room and as I walked in there I was wondering how I was even making my legs move. I felt like I might pass out. The possibility of receiving more bad news was more than I could handle. Promptly at 4:30 Caleb’s neuro-oncologist opened the door and sat down. He gave us GOOD news! I cried! Finally something positive about this nightmare situation. After the tumor board’s review of the most recent MRI they agreed that the tumor had been completely removed, nothing was growing back, and no more surgery was needed. I wanted to jump up and down, cry, scream, cheer, and run laps around St. Jude all at the same time. Our situation is bad, and there is no way to change that, but in the midst of the darkness we had GOOD news. We will find out the results of his Lumbar Puncture test tomorrow, but there is a less than 10% chance it will come back positive.
We sent texts, made phone calls, and then met our family in the cafeteria to have dinner and celebrate Tyler’s birthday. Finally, this could truly be a happy day for our family. Just one triumph in the long battle ahead, but I’ll take it!
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