Hi friends!
Guess what?! This email has good news...and I'm so excited to share it with you!
Evie had MRI #11 on Tuesday April 30, and on Friday May 3rd Dr. Bouffet told us something we have never heard before: "Her tumour is smaller".
Pardon me? What did you say? Wait a minute...Smaller? Smaller.
Smaller! Her tumour is smaller. And when I say smaller, I mean, a
pretty significant amount. No measurements needed (though I did jot them
down), it's clear in the images....her tumour is at least 15% smaller
since her last scan (in January). Shocker!
Paul and I went in to this appointment expecting
something entirely different. With all the bad news we received since
her last scan, all mentioned in my last email, we were sort of prepared
to hear more bad news. How could all of these bad things happen and it
not be a bad scan? Just goes to show you....you never really know with
this stuff. Even the good news took a while for us to fully process. I
actually dont think it was until we started telling friends and family
that we allowed ourselves to fully celebrate. Hearing the reactions of
those closest to us, the ones who have supported us for so long, hearing
their voices and seeing the looks on their faces - we knew this was
something to be really happy about. Thank you for reminding us it's ok,
and only fair, to celebrate the good news, just as much as we mourn the
bad.
This means we are in a good place with Evie's treatment
right now. She is still continuing her bi-weekly appointments for
therapy at Bloorview, as well as her bi-weekly chemotherapy appointments
(currently mid way through cycle 5 of 8). Many of you have asked, but
yes, we continue her chemo protocol to its end. She has quite a few
follow ups in June and July, and I suppose her next MRI will be in
either July or August. So as always, we take it one step at a time, and
hope that this MRI is a sign that something is working. Only time will
tell.
Can you believe there is more good news?
On
April 13/14 we celebrated Evie's 3rd birthday. She is looking more and
more grown up everyday, no part of her a baby anymore. Isabelle is
going to be 9 in the summer, how did that happen?!
Last weekend we gathered at Fort York for Meagan's Walk.
This was our third year participating and clearly our most successful
as a team. Evie's Team looked awesome in our purple shirts - all 55 of us!!!!! As of this morning - because apparently the donations are still filtering in - Evie's Team has raised $10,303.93!!!!!
To everyone that joined us this year, and to everyone that donated to our team - THANK YOU. Not only have you supported Pediatric Brain Tumour Research, but you have supported our family. I'm very sorry that our team missed the big HUG - we werent the only ones, but it still was a bit disappointing. For us, Meagans Walk has become more than the fundraising, more than the 5km (3km?) walk, more than the hug. It really is a day for us to be with others going through what we are going through. To connect with other brain tumour families outside of clinic. To perhaps give our family and friends a window into the lives of these families. This is our other support system, these are the people that have lived what we live, and we are as connected to them as we are to all of you. You have all made this event more and more special to our family. THANK YOU - and we would love to have you all back next year.