Happy New Year

We are happy and relieved to say goodbye to 2005 and move on to 2006. While there have been some really good times this year (Adrienne starting college and winning a national merit scholarship), it has mostly been a very difficult year with relapses, chemo, radiation, and surgeries. Each recurrence gets more difficult, though you wouldn't think that was possible. This year was the first time that Adrienne failed to respond to chemo. We knew it would happen eventually but still weren't prepared. It seems so odd that Adrienne has now had cancer five times, yet she still looks so healthy and is able to live a relatively normal life. As long as she's here, we can hope that someday they'll come up with a cure for her. Each year, we know many children and adults who lose their battle, sometimes because of treatment and sometimes due to disease progression and we know we are the lucky ones.

Adrienne is doing incredibly well after her hip surgery. You'd hardly know that she has holes the width of your pinky from the side of her leg all the way into the large femoral bone in her hip. She isn't even using crutches around the house, saving those for trips out. We won't know if the surgery is successful in generating new bone for several months, but so far, so good. Adrienne's next checkup is on January 12 when she sees her oncologist, cardiologist, BMT doctor, and orthopedist, plus a pulmonary function test and echocardiogram. I'm sure it will prove to be one of those very long, boring days at the hospital but it will be worth it assuming she gets a clear bill of health.

We will leave to take Adrienne back to college on either January 14th or 15th. She feels like her vacation has been much too fast. In the next day or two, she is going back to her high school to visit with her old teachers. It's heartwarming to see how far she's come.