Life is good

Long overdue update.. where has time gone ?

Still having regular clinic visits to check blood counts, but the numbers are improving. No transfusions. We were in Rochester June 2 for my 3rd round of targeted chemotherapy (SGN-35). Plan is for me to be restaged before the next round of chemo, and depending on how the cancer has responded to treatment, to decide how many more rounds, and perhaps even consider an allo transplant in the future.. ?

We will cross that bridge if/when we get there..

The past 3 weeks have been busy, but more of the fun and exciting kind of busy.

My aunt came to Canada for the first time from overseas :-) It was so nice to have her here, it was worth every sore muscle after touring Niagara falls, and a trip to the top of the CN tower thanks to a convincing and fearless 4 year old ;) My uncle and second cousins also joined from the States for a few days at the end of her stay. Very memorable.

We have been enjoying life to its fullest, celebrating birthdays, even getting pampered at a spa treatment we got from our friends back on my birthday in December, which we hadnt been able to redeem until now (thank you so much it was wonderful!!). I cannot thank you, our family and friends and well-wishers enough for all the support you have given us, your kind words, generous donations, food deliveries, and thoughtfulness.. To all those who organized and participated in a Poker tournament fundraiser for our cause, you knocked us off our feet, we THANK YOU!! All this has made our lives so much less stressful, and most importantly has given us the comfort that we are not alone.

Anddddd... now.. planning a vacation?!

Had you asked me a month ago if I'd like to go away, I would automatically say YES but we can't right now.. This has been my answer for the past 2.5 years, and the reason we havent been away. Unless you count our trip to Florida, which was beautiful, but not your typical vacation.. We went there in a desperate attempt to heal my then newly relapsed cancer by alternative approach (switching to a raw living food diet, etc); This trip sadly ended with an emergency flight home - I went straight to the emergency room and immediately started high-dose chemotherapy in hopes of stem cell transplant shortly after..

It has routinely been hard for us to plan anything even a day in advance, and either my frail condition or frequent hospital appointments, or medication I was taking, has prevented us from travel. But on June 1st, exactly one year to the date that I had my autologous stem cell transplant, it felt possible. A huge THANK YOU to my parents for a Christmas present that went unused until now - a much needed vacation :) We saw a 10-day window of opportunity, a beautiful destination, sun, sand and relaxation.. Needless to say we are thrilled !!!

Tomorrow morning we leave for Jamaica !

Finally Karolek will get to use his snorkel gear for a body of water other than our bathtub :)))) We feel so blessed and happy at this moment.

Thank you for sharing in our journey. Pictures from the trip to follow!!