Charlotte is one year cancer
free. As I type these words, I find myself
overcome with emotion. A great deal of relief, but so much more than
relief. So much more than words are
capable of expressing. There are so many days now that we live without even
thinking about that evil little word—cancer.
However, without fail, every three months, that word has been a frequent
reminder of all the things Charlotte has been through. That word that stopped us completely in our tracks
a year and a half ago. That word that brought
me scanxiety every three months. Now
with her being one year cancer free, our lives are changed once again, but this
time, it’s for the better. We now only
have to receive scans every six months.
A few
updates on the information that we did receive from her scans: there is still no evidence of disease
anywhere in her body. Her Echo shows
that she still has an open PFO (patent foramen ovale), which from our previous
understanding, means that it will stay open.
Some children born with PFOs do see it eventually close, however that
will probably not be the case with Charlotte.
The doctors are not concerned with her open PFO. Around 25% of the
population is estimated to have an open PFO.
Charlotte also still has her Bicuspid Aortic Valve as well. The doctors will continue to follow and monitor
this. They have no concerns about this
defect at this time because this is typically a condition that will need to be
addressed in her 3rd to 4th decade of life. Her clinic appointments are now every-other
month. We are moving to a life of more
normalcy for her…for us. She is truly a
warrior, and we are so inspired by her.
We would like to thank all of you for your prayers and support. We couldn’t have done it without y’all!
