The Two Greatest Phrases . . .

“Cancer Survivor” . . . and “Your PET Scan was completely normal.”  I won’t make you read all the way to the end.  Mom’s fine . . . we’re ecstatic.  And now I’ll tell the story.

Mom’s appointment was at 9:00 this morning.  To completely appreciate this story, you have to understand how our internal clocks work.  I am always on time – exactly on time.  So for a 9:00 appointment, I will arrive between 8:58 and 9:00.  Blake is always ten minutes early.  My dad is even earlier than that.  And Blake picked up Mom and Dad this morning, so he was on their clock.  No big deal – doctors are always running late.

So imagine my surprise (and heightened stress) when my cell phone rings at 8:45 and Blake tells me they are in Exam Room 4.  Of course, I am still on I-75 and ten minutes away.  By 8:58, the suspense was over – I walked into an Exam Room 4 full of happy people rehashing the results and discussing plans for checkups in the future.  Other than being disappointed that I missed the announcement, I couldn’t care less – I was dreading a 45 minute stay in the waiting room while the tension mounted.

Blake told me later how it went – Dr. Merl (the oncologist) walked into the exam room, handed a sheet of paper to Blake, and said “Let’s see how your eyesight is this morning – read the last line.”  So Blake read -- “No signs of malignancy or any other irregularities.”  And at that point, the oncologist looked at Mom and said “You are in complete remission.”

Mom will go back for a checkup in three months, and probably another PET Scan in six months.  She is thrilled that there is no more chemo (and also that her hair will continue to grow).  I wish I had been prepared to take a picture just after the oncologist left the room, when Mom did a very un-Momlike thing – she threw both fists into the air and shouted “YES!!!”

Instead, you get the posed shot in the parking lot shortly after.  I have said it so many times, but I can’t begin to thank all of you enough for your cards, e-mails, and prayers.  You have touched my mom and my family so much, and I have no doubt that each of you played a part in her recovery.  God is truly good.