An Exciting Life Update!

In one of last week’s posts I shared some thoughts as I approached my 27th birthday. One thing I briefly touched on was my appreciation for how precious life is and how that appreciation has grown over the last year and a half since my dad’s brain cancer diagnosis. In light of that, I wanted to share a really exciting update with you guys regarding his health! I also just want to note that opening up and being transparent on the internet isn’t always easy for me, but I’m trying to do that more and more because I’m so grateful for this online community! If I can share my story with others in hopes that it helps even one person then it’s completely worth it!

For those who may not be familiar with the story, my dad was initially diagnosed with brain cancer in January of 2017. Freddy and I were living in Austin, TX at the time and moved back to Phoenix to be closer to my parents and support them. His treatments were going really well for that entire year and he was able to continue working full-time and enjoy his usual hobbies like hiking and golfing. In January 2018 he had another seizure (it had been exactly 1 year after his first seizure, which is how they discovered the cancer)—the MRI at that point didn’t show any new cancer so they changed his anti-seizure medication. Then in April he had another seizure, and this time the cancer was back.

My dad had surgery in May to remove new cancer growth that had developed, but the surgeons weren’t able to completely remove all of it. He continued his treatment plan and in July had an MRI to see how things were looking. There was still cancer there and also swelling in the particular area where the cancer was. This certainly wasn’t the news we were hoping for, so he started a new treatment method which involves wearing a device on his head that transmits “Tumor Treating Fields” and helps slow and/or kill the cancer cells (seriously guys, technology is so cool!) and it’s non-invasive which is great! Just last week my dad had another MRI which would show how this new treatment plan was working for him. He had some friends in town visiting at the time and we all gathered together to pray over him (family who couldn't be there joined in as well). We prayed for miraculous healing and that God’s will be done.

The next day at his appointment, the MRI showed NO CANCER whatsoever!! I wish I could have been there to see the look on my dad’s face and to give him and my mom the biggest hug! I am still in shock over this news and just so incredibly thankful. We still don’t know what the future holds (only God does!) and we know that this brain cancer is very aggressive, but the great news that we received last week is giving us hope! My dad will continue his current treatment that he’s on and his next MRI will be in a couple of months! Since hearing this great news we have been celebrating and spending lots of time together; my parents took Freddy and I to the Needtobreathe concert on Sunday which was amazing! This was the first time my parents had seen them live and I’m so glad they were able to.

I’m learning more and more to be thankful for all that we have: being near to family and spending as much time as we can with them, for health and to not take it for granted, and to continue living life to the full and to keep pursuing our passions. Life is short, and it’s a phrase that I hear often but I’m really taking it to heart lately. I want to live this life to glorify God in all that I do and to help others see their dreams come to fruition, too! Thank you for joining me on this journey and allowing me to be open and honest with you—I’m grateful for this online community! xo