Peace and Joy

On Tuesday, Chase had his big scans. The wait for news has felt endlessly long this week, but the call came yesterday afternoon…

Dear ones… in an unprecedented move, Chase’s body appears to be healing itself from a significant iron overload, his liver looking better now on the MRI than it did two years ago. 

We laughed on the phone, his nurse and I, because we both know Chase and the absolute rarity of a moment like this.

In addition, the growth near his kidney appears to be an enlarged lymph node – which is even more good news.

The radiology team did note that there seems to be a proliferation of swollen lymph nodes (and new lymph nodes since the last scan) in his abdomen. However, none of them show a mass or signs of being cancerous at this point.

As a mama who worries, I asked his oncology team about these new lymph nodes, the growing and enlarging pieces. I used words like ‘lymphedema‘ and ‘lymphoma‘ because it’s Chase and I think about these things for him.

But in the most perfect Advent moment, I was told this…: “Not now… We’ll check again when he has his brain/spine scan in the spring, and if there’s no change, we will know that our assessment now holds true.” 

Sometimes, the endless Chase waiting feels like a weight, but this particular time feels poignant and beautiful because in its own little way, our wait is a heart reflection of The Wait, this season… Advent: like mute Zechariah, like awestruck Mary, like a nation in silence and a world in pain, we wait for the things we hold close in wonder to prove true.

…so we wait with Chase once again – the same as usual, but not the same. And we celebrate these gifts of a scan where –miraculously – Chase’s body is doing something helpful for itself, and there are no immediate follow ups or treatment or next steps needed.

And we’ll know the rest in time, yes?

Merry Christmas, dear ones.

Moment by moment.

[The next appointment will be January 5th, 2022 to scan for thyroid cancer growth]