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It's official--5 years cancer free post treatment

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I've been looking forward to such a blog title for a long time and here we are.  Yay!  I am happy that this was our outcome, grateful for all the years we've had with Steven and for the many more to come, and humbled when I think of other cancer friends who weren't so lucky. Yesterday we had the appointments.  Steven didn't have a scan as normal, they just took an x-ray of his chest.  They do this because they are less worried about recurrence at this point and it reduces the amount of radiation he is exposed to.  So I don't know if I can officially call these scans, but his blood work was totally normal and his lungs were clear.  We have every reason to hope for Steven to live a long life, cancer free. We will continue these check-ups annually until he is 19 or 20, which will be 10 years out from treatment.  Hopefully we will feel as peaceful about those future check ups as we did yesterday.  It was a good day. And because I don't post so often, ...
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A beautiful life

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Saturday morning we got a devastating call from Rob's mom:  his dad had passed away in the night.  They were in California, had spent a lovely week at Disneyland with Rob's brother and his family.  He hadn't complained of any health problems during the trip and had no known health problems so this came as a huge shock to all of us. His passing has brought to my mind a wealth of memories shared with him. He has been such a huge part of holidays, birthdays, vacations, home projects, and really just our life.  He was a humble man with a very big heart.  Steven was named after him and as a little kid, he idolized his grandpa.  I hope that his biggest aspiration is to be as kind and good as his namesake. I have so many pictures of him and my kids.  I keep thinking about Alisa's admonition to take more pictures.  I'm glad I have as many as I do.  I wish I could take more.  Here are a few that tell a little about him as a grandpa. Here is one o...
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A birthday, a check-up and the gift of a year

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You may already know that the American Cancer Society is the "Official Sponsor of Birthdays."  This week, as we celebrated Steven's 16th birthday, I couldn't help but remember a time six years ago during his treatments when I wondered if he'd ever make it to this age.  Along with the birthday celebrations this week, Steven also had his annual check up.  Scans are over, and now the docs just do a chest x-ray and some blood work.  Everything looked great--he is the picture of health.  A perfect birthday present, but more than that, it feels like another year and most likely a whole life.  Is there a better gift?  As we get a little farther out from the experience, I find myself with answers that I couldn't have when we were in the trenches.  The puzzle is only sort of coming together, but this week it felt more clear than ever.  Here are some of the pieces: Steven's pediatrician is retiring.  As we received the invitation to his retirement...
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