A Bump in the Road

We've hit a bump in the road. DD16 had a regularly scheduled MRI this past week. The last MRI six months previous had shown some small spots, probably scar tissue from the brain radiation she received. One of these has grown significantly and her neurosurgeon is leaning towards removing it. He says it is probably a cavernous malformation, a known side-effect from brain radiation, although it appears anyone can have one. We will meet with him next week to discuss this further.

If possible, I prefer to keep this blog positive and hopeful. I never wanted to chronicle her cancer journey. I am too private and it was too painful. I want this blog to be empowering, to be about choices to keep as healthy as possible. In the same regard, I am trying to approach this upcoming hurdle in a proactive way. I've discussed with DD16 that we will try to keep her as healthy as possible, in order to up the odds of a quick recovery from surgery.

So, she is diligently eating her fruits and vegetables and is starting to drink two cups of green tea a day. Without any sweetener, no less. Amazing.

Anticancer: A New Way of Life

I believe knowledge is power. It took a while to get to this place, but I've become immensely interested in health news in general and books about cancer prevention in particular. I'm currently reading Anticancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, which chronicles a doctor's bout with a brain tumor and relapse and his subsequent realization that very little nutritional advice is given to cancer patients. He decides to research the impact of food choices on cancer prevention, and discovers many studies that suggest certain foods can help or impede cancer cell growth. I've heard of most of his discoveries, but it's still compelling reading because of his own personal experience with brain cancer.

I will be buying this book and giving it to other cancer survivors or those who care for them. Meanwhile, I am sure I am driving my family crazy with my constant references to it.

Milestone

Today is the 5th anniversary of DD16's diagnosis. It never felt right to celebrate any cancer-related milestone in the last five years. Maybe we're just superstitious, and feel like it's tempting fate. And for brain tumor survivors, 5 years is not a magic number. You are not "cured." Rather, the rule is that you are "cured" after the age when diagnosed plus 9 months. So, in our case, DD16 will be considered cured at about 24 years of age. I'm not sure if the same rule applies to adult brain tumor patients (http://tinyurl.com/8zt377).

Still, I decided to make a nicer supper than usual and even dessert, since it is a special day. She's still with us and that alone deserves a celebration.

My Story

In January of 2004, my then-11-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. She had always seemed a healthy child; she rarely caught colds or other viruses. Through our journey to recovery and remission, I thought a lot about what it means to be healthy. Although the cause of most brain tumors are unknown, I felt guilty and powerless that my child was going through this terrible ordeal, and I worried about our two younger boys. I started reading everything I could about cancer prevention and health in general, because I was learning that the toxic treatments saving my daughter’s life would most certainly cause her health problems in the future, including the possibility of other cancers and heart disease. What could I do NOW that would better her odds? What food and lifestyle choices could I teach my children so that they would become thoughtful about their own health? My goal with this blog is to share what I learn, as well as other health issues I find interesting.