We drove to Froedtert in the rain yesterday. A perfectly fitting start to the appointment based on where we left off last time.

The purpose of the appointment was to discuss the transition to radiation therapy now that the first four rounds of chemo and Tagrisso are complete. But let’s be honest, all anyone really cares about is the result of the PET Scan from last Friday. I won’t make you wait.

The results were good, really good. Again. I have experienced a “near complete response” to the treatment so far. That means there is only a little cancer left in the lung. The PET Scan detects no active cancer cells in the liver and lymph nodes. This is great news and a sign of great progress and hope that we can get to NED (No Evidence of Disease) status. To be clear, my goal is loftier. I don’t care about “evidence.” I want ND status (No Disease) period.

Now let’s have some fun. You know how there’s a rowing theme to this blog? Well, I went to the appointment wearing my Milwaukee Rowing Club face mask. The Radiation Oncologist walks in, sees my mask, and says “Who do you know at the rowing club?” Uh, the President and a dozen other strong and fast members. Turns out she’s a member and trains regularly. “Your husband wears the GoPro,” I say. The first text I received that morning was from my friend Al Erickson who trains with my RO’s husband. Small world. The rowing part of the appointment ends with me pointing at her and saying, “I’m a rower. You have to keep me alive.” Then she shows us the scan.

So now what? Surprise. We are NOT doing radiation treatment. We are going to make it rain harder with two more rounds of chemo and Tagrisso. That was our choice based on this thinking: We made all this progress using those tools. Let’s give them a little more time. Maybe they can do all the work and we already know that I can handle it. We’ll re-scan in six weeks and see where we’re at. Radiation will be there in six weeks if we need it. And a rower will oversee it.

It was a highly emotional day. My brain began firing faster than I could handle and it took me about 18 hours to wrap my head around it. Here’s your proof. At 3:15 a.m. I was in the middle of the street trying to see Neptune and Uranus in the night sky. At about 4:00 I was on the phone with Eric Davis in Sydney, Australia. At 4:30 I realized every person in the house was awake for no good reason, I panicked and ran to Helen’s bedroom to check on her. She was snoring comfortably. At least someone was asleep.

It’s too early for credit, but it goes out in measures to Kathleen, to God and the prayer warriors, to medical science, to the nutrition program, to the integrative therapy techniques, to all y’all. And now that we know that it’s working, we double down on everything. Now we work.

We have six weeks and a lifetime of work to do. We are very happy. And I remain very focused. This is a long race and I know I can’t let up. The consequences are too great. Want proof? Got 8 minutes? Watch the link below. It’s a cautionary tale. (And I have been on the water with the guy who’s happy at the end, which is another story for another day.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuqpn7mbwM8