August 7, 2008
The One-Year Mark!
Dear Friends and Family,
It might be hard to believe, but today marks one full year since Evan’s diagnosis. It was August 7th, 2007, when I got the phone call that turned our whole world upside down. Thinking about that day has brought back a flood of memories and emotions for me.
We had been waiting anxiously for the results from the MRI which Evan had received a few days earlier. I had called the doctor’s office once already that morning hoping to get the results from the nurse, but was told the doctor wanted to give me the results himself. That was my first clue that they had found something wrong. It was an agonizing hour before the doctor called me back.
When the call finally came, I shut my bedroom door and sat down on the floor as the doctor broke the news. A million thoughts started racing through my head, so I grabbed some paper and a pen to help me concentrate. I tried to stay focused by writing down the words and phrases I was hearing. I wrote, “Malignant brain tumor,” “Center of the brain,” “Size of a walnut,” and “Find a neurosurgeon and oncologist, ASAP.” When I hung up the phone, I just stared at those words in disbelief. It felt like we had just entered someone else's life.
During the next two weeks we added several more scary words to that piece of paper. We heard words like, "Inoperable," "Terminal Cancer," “Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM for short),” "Stage-4," and “No Cure.” It was overwhelming to say the least – especially all the statistics that were thrown at us in terms of life expectancy. Every new piece of information felt like a punch in the stomach.
We were told that the average life expectancy for someone with a Stage-4 GBM is 11 months. At that time, watching Evan’s mental ability deteriorate so quickly, I honestly did not know whether he would still be here today. But here we are, 12 months later, and I’m happy to say Evan has “beat the odds!” For someone with this type of cancer, being a one-year survivor is a huge accomplishment!
Evan pretty much feels crummy all the time now, and he’s been extremely tired the last two weeks. But his mental ability is ten times better than it was a year ago, and he’s still willing to fight and endure the treatments. For that, I am grateful and so proud of him.
We also want to express our deep appreciation to everyone who has helped us during the last year. We are so grateful and so humbled by the endless acts of kindness we have received from family, friends, doctors, and nurses alike. In spite of all the sadness and difficulty, we have never been more blessed or felt more loved than we have in the past year. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, so, so much!!!
Evan’s next MRI will be on Wednesday, August 20th. We’ll let you know how it goes.
With love and gratitude,
Margot
