A "Typical, Happy, Healthy Sixteen-Year-Old Girl"

This post is #97 in a year-long series ... Through this series of posts I plan to share our family's experiences during our 17-year-old daughter's year-long battle with brain cancer, which began in February of 2008. My desire is to process through the events of that year from the perspective that a decade of time has brought ... for myself, really. But if you'd like to follow along, you're welcome to join me.

September 8, 2008

At this point, Hannah was pretty much sailing through her treatments ... in fact, those were her oncologist's exact words!  Other than the fact that her hair was still a little thin in spots due to the radiation treatments, nobody would have guessed that she was battling brain cancer.  She was at school every day, only missing for clinic appointments, and keeping her streak of straight A's going strong which was very important to her!

You can see from my email from ten years ago today that we were feeling very good about where we were at this point in this process ...

Hannah had her routine monthly visit to Arkansas Children’s Hospital this morning, and it went really well. As usual, the doctors and nurses were amazed at how healthy Hannah looks and feels as she goes through this experience with cancer. And it’s true! She looks (and feels!) like any typical, happy, healthy sixteen year old girl. Thank you, Lord, for this blessing!

Her blood counts were all pretty good today, although her platelet count has dropped, as expected at this point in the chemotherapy cycle. If we follow the pattern of the last few cycles, though, it should be high enough by next week for her to start her chemo medication again, on schedule this time! We’ll find out for sure next Monday. Our next hurdle, after that, will be her next MRI, which is scheduled for September 29th. We are already praying for a clear scan, with no sign of tumor regrowth.

Isaiah 26:3 - You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

God is good, all the time!
Jill and Brad