However you choose to quantify it, that doesn't make it any less of a roller coaster. It has been 1 year since Alyssa was diagnosed, and my wife and I spent time reflecting on what we, as a family, have been through. It's not all bad, of course, when I'm feeling a bit mopey I just have to look over at the little princess next to me and she never ceases to make me smile and forget whatever was bothering me at the time.
I have to be honest, had you asked me where I thought we'd be a year ago, I'm not sure how optimistic my answer would have been. But thanks to the support and care of family and, in no small part, the wonderful (and simply amazing) doctors and staff at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children we will finally get to enjoy the Christmas we so longed for with our daughter. Instead of the beeping of respirators, we'll now hear the jingle of bells. Instead of crying on shoulders, we'll be singing some carols. I've never wanted a Christmas so badly before in my life.
But, enough of that..
I happy to report that, since being declared in remission, Alyssa has been doing quite well. All of her scans and tests up to this point have been spot on, with no cause for concern. All of her levels are within "normal" ranges, and her spirits couldn't be any higher. She quickly went from crawling to walking and is now running at a full gape. She went from having no teeth to almost a full set in what seems like overnight. She's really become increasingly independent, so much so that she'll sometimes refuse to eat unless you let her feed herself.
We now have a little person running around our house! Where did my baby go?!
We'll of course continue with her scans, in fact we have our "final" MRI of the year on the 21st. From there we'll be moved to a 6-month schedule rather than every 3. It's scary, but it's a milestone.. we'll just have to overcome our "scanxiety" and focus our efforts on being alert, and most of all, just being there for her.
No one knows what the future has in store for our little monkey, we have no control over that. However, one thing I can control is the present -- and I can assure you, she will have the best "now" we can give her.
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