I wish I could take credit for the title of this post, but as I am sure many of you already guessed, it actually came from - you got it - VIVI! When my mother asked me to write a blog post updating all of you on the events of the last few weeks, I was apprehensive, as I wasn't sure how to keep the same humorous and positive tone I tried my best to maintain throughout this blog thus far. However, when Vivi texted me saying she had thought of the perfect title for the new blog - the tone was already set. All I could do was shake my head and laugh and think, "that's my mom."
I also wish that I was writing this post to update all of you with better news, but, unfortunately, that is not the case. While I knew I would have to be sending such a post to all of you at some point, I was certainly hoping I would not have to do it so quickly. Unfortunately, just over 6 months after being deemed in "remission" Vivi has relapsed.
The week before Labor Day Vivi had some blood tests come back indicating that her CA-125 levels (the blood marker that measures the growth of ovarian cancer cells in one's body) were elevated. The blood test was then followed by a CT scan which confirmed that the cancer had, in fact, returned. The good news is, since Vivi is monitored so closely now, this was all caught fairly early. While there is already some spreading - with the most significant finding on her left kidney - this is to be expected with ovarian cancer. If you are new to this blog, it may be helpful to go back and read some of the earlier posts which most clearly describe the nature of ovarian cancer. However, in short, what makes ovarian cancer so tricky is that it tends to sprinkle itself around as opposed to showing up as one localized tumor (although larger tumors can occur as well).
When we met with Vivi's doctors, there were two treatment options - surgery or chemo. Vivi was not a candidate for surgery as, stated above, the cancer is too sprinkled for surgery to be effective. Thus, she will be going back into chemotherapy beginning this Wednesday. The new regimen will, once again, be a 21-day cycle. However, this time around, Vivi will have two weeks of treatment in a row (only one day of treatment each week - not the whole week - just to clarify), followed by a week off. The plan is for her to go through 3 rounds of treatment, have a CT scan to track her progress, and then continue with another 1-3 rounds of treatment depending on her progress. Due to Vivi's cardiac complications during her treatment last year, she is going to have to be treated, once again, as an in-patient. While hospital time is never particularly fun, I have no doubt my mother will, once again, establish her little fan club of nurses, patients, and passers-by, who are sure to be regular visitors in her private (yes, private) room!
So here is the reality of the situation. Truthfully, while we all hoped Vivi would stay in remission as long as possible, we also knew that she would relapse at some point. This is just the nature of ovarian cancer. Only 10% of women diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer are actually cured. So while Vivi put up an undeniably valiant and brave fight last year, the odds were never in our favor.
Good news - while Vivi will likely be in and out of remission for the foreseeable future, her doctors are nothing but optimistic that this round of chemo should be extremely effective and she will likely be back in remission by winter. Not only was Vivi amazingly responsive to chemotherapy last year, but she withstood the treatment as if she were her horse! So while we are all certainly saddened by the news of the last few weeks, we remain hopeful that Vivi will once again make it through this with flying colors, lots of laughs, a solid amount of inappropriate behavior, and at least one new pair of sparkly diamond earrings!
More good news - if you know our family at all, we are lucky to have the knowledge and resources which allow us to explore options outside of chemotherapy. While chemo is certainly the best short term solution, it is not a long-term answer. Knowing this, we have spent much of our time over the last few weeks meeting with doctors and exploring every possible treatment available. While Vivi has chosen to stick to the traditional route of chemotherapy, it is good to know we have options - something that many people in our position are not afforded.
Even better news - the last few weeks have not been all work and no play! First and foremost, Vivi turned the big (gasp!) 7-0 yesterday. So my sister flew in for the weekend and we celebrated with a lovely dinner on Saturday night, a brunch yesterday, and lots of birthday cake!! The weekend before, our cousin Kyra got married in Rhode Island, which was another fun (and might I add - stunning) family affair. Now here's the really fun part: we decided we would charter a plane and fly up to Rhode Island as a family and - believe it or not - Vivi flew the plane (proof in the photos below)!!! Of course we had a real pilot and Vivi only flew for a few seconds, but still, it was serendipitous timing for Vivi to not only face, but conquer, one of her greatest fears (Vivi is terrified of flying, if you weren't already aware)!!!! My sister-in-law also faced one of her biggest fears - sitting in a plane that my mother was flying. Nonetheless, it was a well timed adventure, followed by a beautiful night of family fun!
So, while we certainly have another challenging year ahead, our family - in its usual fashion - has already managed to rally together and cherish some extremely special time together - as I expect we will continue to do in the upcoming months.
I apologize that this post lacks my usual humorous tone (or attempt at humor), but I knew this would be a lot of information to ingest, and wanted to focus on the facts. Judging from last year, I already anticipate the amount love and support that will come pouring in after this post is sent - so thank you in advance. All of you were certainly our greatest motivators, supporters, and source of inspiration last year, and I have no doubt this year will be different.
I will, per usual, keep everyone posted on my mother's progress, and have no doubt that I will have many entertaining stories to tell along the way.
All my love. Until next time...
