1 year

Life was so amazingly great for everyone with Vanessa in Remission.  It was incredible, she was incredible. Such a rare and agressive cancer gone in less then 1 year.  She was healthy, active, and so alive.  She could ride 40 miles on her bike, and outswim me every day.  So of course the question came to mind, how long... how long before we knew her chances at staying in remission were great.  1 year.  At 1 year in remission the chance of a Relapse would be significantly decreased.

Easy right?  I mean 1 year... she got rid of the baseball sized tumor in less the 1 year, we could keep it gone for 1 year.  Her health after that fight and scare was amazing.. biking, swimming, hiking.  Giving me her flippers in the pool becaus I was tired, and she just kicked her little legs away with such ease... It almost seemed as though this second chance at life made her stronger... so 1 year... piece of cake!

I remember people often asking me how she was doing in her fight against Cancer, and I always responded with "Looks like she kicked it's ass.  She is Cancer free right now, no detectable Cancer cells, all labs are normal, and she is incredibly healthy and strong. The cancer left in less then a year, we can keep it that way for 1 year".

1 year.... Lord, just 1 year....

Remission

Remission... the one word every person fighting Cancer longs to hear. Remission... its over...

Vanessa went into remission shortly after beginning her treatments at COH. She was well on her way to remission when she was first accepted to COH and then everything just fell into place and she was Cancer free! I could not believe it.. It felt too good to be true. She responded great to all chemotherapy drugs. Granted, she was very ill during the chemo, it worked and it worked fast. How was it possible that after being diagnosed with such a rare and agressive form of Cancer that now she was already Cancer free? A Miracle. A miracle from God. A second chance at life, a semi normal life. Vanessa was still being seen several times a week. Routine lab work and doctors appointments.

I remember the night we celebrated. I cannot remember the exact date that remission occured, but I will go though her medical charts one of these days and find it... but my hair was still very short.. so it had to of only been about 6 months of treatment before she went into full remission. We went to celebrate at Dave and Busters with her long time childhood friend June, and another Jillian that we went to highschool with. We celebrated with drinks, and playing lots of games. She was truly glowing that night. So happy, so beautiful, and so full of life.

It did not take Vanessa much time to return to her normal activities, and then some. I could not believe how strong she was. She started riding her bike again. I am not just talking around the block.. she was able to ride 40 miles several times a week. Her and I started swimming together at the gym... and she could kick my butt at that. She rock climed. It was incredible. It almost seemed as if she was healthier then before she got diagnosed. It was like her body was cleansed from all illness, from all posions, and new. She was new, and not taked life for grantid. She was living it up, and again resuming to an active healthy life style. When I think about it, a lot of it reminds me of Lance Armstrong. Not shocking, as he has been on of her role models through all of this.

No more hospital stays, and no more aggressive drugs. Back home with Matt where they could pick life back up from where they left off. We were all so happy, and it almost seemed as though the hole thing never happened. Besides her being bald, and my hair looking like a que tip you would never ever suspect that girl had a tumor the size of a baseball resting on her heart just a few short months ago. You would never know how much weight she really lost from all the nausea and vomiting. She recovered at the speed of light... It was amazing and such a relief. We all had Vanessa back, and kicked Cancer to the curb.