Friday, October 8, 2010

BIG NEWS!!!

We finally got the big news we had long awaited for...that the treatment was working and the tumors are shrinking!!! Prior to my scans last Friday, I was pretty nervous (to be expected), but I tried to trust my gut feeling, which was that all would be well and we would get good results. Well, boy did we! The doctor came in Monday beaming from ear to ear, exclaiming, "FANTASTIC scan results!" He then proceeded to tell us that 5 of the 6 tumors are gone, undetectable on both PET and CT scans. Amazing! And the large tumor had shrunk by 50% and didn't even light up on the PET scan (meaning it could mostly be dead tissue).
This news was above and beyond what I expected. I mean, I had prayed hard for "remarkable results", but Heavenly Father really hit this one out of the park! Only one word can describe this event and blessing...MIRACLE. I have witnessed with my own two eyes many miracles in my life, but this one takes the cake and I'm grateful to be at the receiving end of this wonderful blessing. I know it was the collective faith, prayers, fasting, and love from everyone around us, not just my own. Thank you for all of your prayers and love, one of the most amazing gifts to me is to "feel" of the power of prayer of so many people praying on behalf of us around the WORLD. It is truly astounding and humbling. We are so blessed!

9 comments:

Courtney said...

You continue to inspire and edify all of us! So so much love to you! Can't wait to high-five ya when you get home! (Maybe we'll go so far as to booty-slap like football players do)

Em said...

Awesome! I've been praying for you, and sending many good thoughts your way. I stand in awe at your strength.

Em-dawg

Jeremi said...

That is fantastic news indeed! So happy for you and the family!

By the way I ran in the Fight For Fina, my 1st 5K, and LOVED it! I'm sure your family has told you all about it but it was AWESOME!

Katy said...

Christina,
Hi! You probably won't remember me, but we met about 11 years ago at a Utah-Utah State football game with our soon to be husbands. My name is Katy Smith and my husband, Scott, was mission comps with Eric in Moscow. I just wanted to tell you I have been following your blog for the last couple of weeks and I am so inspired by your courage and positive attitude. Congrats on the big news!! That is awesome. I hope you're feeling well and continue to have good results with the treatment!

Nikki said...

Christina,
This is Nikki (Barnett) Campbell, another 'blast from the past' from your days at USU. I remember you as one of the 'toughest chicks' I'd ever met! haha! I heard about your situation a few weeks ago and have been following your blog since then. When I read the fantastic news today I was so incredibly relieved & happy for you & Eric & your boys. I know you will go on to do amazing things! I wish you & your family the best of luck & continued blessings!

Emily Snow said...

Christina,

I live in Farmington, Ut and came across your story a few weeks ago when my husband and I were simply looking for a race to run and one in Kaysville in your benefit popped up on our search. I read your blog, aka you story, and haven't been able to stop thinking of you so wanted to check in and see how you were doing. I am so happy about this great news. you blog has been touching to read. I had a melanoma mole removed from my upper thigh in 2007 and was cleared also. Nothing has returned (knock on wood) but your story definitely heightened my awareness! It hit close to home and I can't believe you have hd to go through this. My prayers are with you for a full recovey. Bless your heart. Bless your family. I cannot imagine the suffering and worrying you all have been through. Best wishes.
With love, Emily Snow

Christina said...

Emily,

Did you run in the race? I was there, did I meet you? I met a couple other melanoma survivors and you might have been one of them. Your thoughts and words were great and encouraging, thank you! I do hope that my story brings education and awareness to people out there, and for someone that has already been diagnosed with melanoma, I hope it at least helps them keep a close eye on things!

My dermatologist always tells me that I'm not the "typical patient", meaning that mine shouldn't have metastisized based on the size and clear margins. But he also says that he has seen melanomas quite larger than mine that never come back, and smaller ones that ended up spreading. It just goes to show how unpredictable melanoma is! Good luck with things and let's hope and pray that yours never returns! :)

jwoodbri said...

Hi Christina,

So glad that you are getting such wonderful results!! I've been thinking about you a lot lately. We were both diagnosed with stage 3 around the same time if I remember correctly and both have boys about the same ages. So very glad you are fighting the beast and winning!!

Emily Snow said...

Christina,

this is Emily Snow (above post from Farmington) and no, i did not end up running that race. I wish I had and was able to meet you. Darn it. I have never considered myself a melanoma survivor. Interesting to hear you say that and scary. I really got very little info. from my dermatologist. I guess he wasn't very informative and I didn't know what to ask. I Just considered myself lucky that it was caught early and haven't thought a lot about it until now. All I know is that he had me come back in after he initially shaved the small mole off to cut out some extra tissue and stitch up the patch and told me later that it was all clean. end of story. I never asked questions or anything, he had me come back every 6 months for a while and i just continue to keep a close eye on my skin. Should i have asked more questions? I don't even know which ones I should have asked? Any tips? I am almost scared to ask. The initial phone call after that first "shave" was that the mole was pre-melanoma, then he said "no, it could be classified as early melanoma, I want you to come back in to cut out some more tissue to make sure we got it all". end of story. what is your take on that? should i have been informed more? What should I have asked? the whole thing seems so incredibly minute compared to your situation. Gosh, I feel bad even telling you about it, but assume you would know if i should've been better informed. He just made it seem like it wasn't a big deal I guess. That really freaks me out that it grew in my body and I know I am likely to have more bc of that, right? Anyway, I hope you are still on the uphill. I still think of you often. Any tips are welcome though...you are so very informed. Best wishes, you are still in my prayers