Hey brother.

At the “28 day” appointment following the last round, Dr.L chose not to perform a biopsy because the results of Scott’s blood test were sufficient to conclude that induction chemo did not work. No need to put him through the discomfort of a biopsy if it wasn’t necessary.
So today, we just really wanted to need that biopsy. When she didn’t bring the procedure tray in with her into the clinic room, I could feel my throat tighten up a bit, and my breath catch, in anticipation of what she was going to say.

She started with the good news: Scott’s brother Jeff is a match for a bone marrow transplant. Specifically, he’s a PERFECT match. So maybe more AWESOME news than good 🙂

Exhale. Cue tears. 

I didn’t realize how badly I wanted to hear that news until I did, and we didn’t even know to expect it. We instantly felt so grateful and hopeful, and that much closer to putting cancer behind us.

There has been a lot of unspoken pressure on Jeff – pressure to deliver on something completely out of his control, that was determined before he was even born. And I don’t think I’m putting words in his mouth when I suggest that he may have wanted to be a match for Scott more than anyone else. The team allowed Scott to be the one to share the news with his brother, and in their own quiet way both acknowledged that this really was good news. Something was finally going their way.

After the exciting news, Dr. L shared the not so good news… That she would need to then proceed with the biopsy. Little did she know the relief that her “bad” news also provided. Scott would gladly have the biopsy done, thrilled that they needed more information to confirm remission. And that’s how positive Scott feels – that reinduction worked and they just need the proof to confirm remission.

There was very little talk of what would happen if remission wasn’t achieved… There were suggestions on timing for the transplant (within a few months) and expectations about consolidation. It felt like remission was just being assumed, even though we know it isn’t. 

Scotts counts are all very “robust” and the speed with which he recovered is very encouraging. He has an appointment next Tuesday to review the results and talk about next steps. 

Wondering how you can help?

“Scott will be in remission on Tuesday. He will undergo consolidation for a couple months. He will successfully come through his transplant. He will be cancer free.”

Read it, say it aloud, repeat.