He Is VICTORIOUS!

As of Monday, June 2, 2014, Justin is officially finished his cancer treatment!  In the past weeks, we have had more phenomenal news - Justin's MRI and CT results also showed that he is clear.  They can see no evidence of disease in his body.  Hallelujah!  Justin has also completed his ten sessions of radiation therapy, which covered both of his lungs in their entirety.  This has left him very tired, short of breath and with a nasty cough. We are told that this is to be expected, given the large area that the radiation covered and the fact that it was directed entirely on his lungs.  Justin also had his central line removed on May 21st.  This was HUGE for him, as he was unable to shower or swim while it was in.  48 hours after it was removed, he showered for the first time in 11 months!

Since he is completely done, we decided what better time to set the plans for Justin's dream trip to Italy in concrete.  We met with Grace from The Dream Factory on May 29th to discuss where Justin wanted to stay and what he wanted to see and do.  Ever since he found out that he was eligible for a wish, Justin has dreamed of staying in a villa in Tuscany.  Grace wasted no time and informed us within days that our flights and the villa of Justin's choice are now booked.  We will stay in the villa from August 23-30th and to extend our trip, I have booked apartments in Rome, Florence and the Sorrento coast from August 30-September 9th.  We are getting so excited now that things are booked and it is really happening!

Life is slowly getting back to normal around here.  Little by little, Justin is regaining some of his strength and energy.  It could take a few weeks for the effects of the radiation to fully wear off, though.  Last week, he went to camp with his classmates for the traditional Grade 8 farewell celebration.  They left on Wednesday and were to come back on Friday.  Justin was reluctant to go as he was feeling really tired and he was concerned he wouldn't be able to participate in any of the activities.  I encouraged him to go, telling him that I would come and get him if he felt like coming home early.  He did end up calling me on Wednesday night before bed asking me to come and get him on Thursday, but at least he spent one night with his peers having some fun and he went swimming!  His classmates even insisted that Justin be the first one to jump in the pool.  What a special group of kids.

As I sit here on my couch typing this, my eyes are drawn to the calendar on the kitchen cabinet.  In two weeks and two days, the twins will be attending their Grade 8 Farewell.  They will be done at La Salle school and will be headed to high school in the fall.  On June 16th, it will mark the one year anniversary of Justin's hospital admission which led to his cancer diagnosis.  It's hard to believe that is has been nearly a year.  So much has happened.  So many ups and downs.  It's surreal.  It seems like a lifetime ago; almost like a dream.  But I only have to see Justin with his bald head to know that it was not a dream. The hair is starting to come back though; a halo of white fuzz, seen only in certain light, covers his head.  His eyebrows are coming in darker than his hair and to his delight, he has quite the mustache coming in as well.   Each of these new milestones is a reminder that my son had cancer but he fought through it with blood, sweat and tears and came out VICTORIOUS.