February 3, 2021 - The Four C's
Many of you may not know this, but one of my first jobs while in school was working at a jewelry store. It was my first foray into sales. I loved the competition, the company, the consulting, and the commission! It is where I learned about the Four C's: Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight.
For a long time, when I would hear about the Four C's, I was thinking sparkling diamonds channeling my inner Marilyn Monroe. After all, diamonds are a girls best friend, or so they say.
As the pages have turned on my life experiences, the Four C's have taken a very different meaning. When I hear the term the Four C's, my thoughts now veer to Cancer, Chemotherapy, Craniotomy, and Clean.
Today was a great day for the 4C's. Jamie and I spent the afternoon at Mayo for my routine bloodwork, doc appointment, and injection. More importantly, we received the news from my PET Scan on Monday. It was a CLEAN scan! We were so relieved and so happy. Prayers are being answered. The chemo drugs are working.
We have had 2 very encouraging visits over the last 2 weeks. The Brain MRI was CLEAN and now the PET Scan. Both of my oncology docs are very happy that I am stable. On this day, there is no evidence of advanced disease.
What does that mean? It does not mean that I am cured. Unfortunately, there is no cure for cancer that has metastasized (Stage 4). BUT, it does mean that the chemo cocktail that I am taking is working. I am blessed. I will continue to take my meds daily, visit the Mayo Clinic every 3 weeks for bloodwork and my injection. And, I will gladly continue down this path praying this regiment continues to work! My next scans (Brain MRI and PET Scan) will be in late May or early June.
It has been a rough few months, so hearing good news today was very uplifting. Heck, I feel giddy. We continue to feel so much love from our family and friends. We will continue to live with our new Four C's. Diamonds may be a girls best friend, but I think Clean scans have become mine!