For the first time since being diagnosed with cancer in November 2013, Teresa Harrington and I went on a rainy day hike at Prince William Forest Park, located south near Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., Oct. 8, 2016. Despite the rain and some slippery spots along the trail, we had a great time of creating more memories. For more more information about Prince William Forest Park...https://www.nps.gov/prwi/index.htm.

As regards to the old proverb, “No news is good news,” I exhaled a mild sighed of relief when my oncologist informed me of the latest post-infusion results on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

Last week, I had to undergo a PET/CT scan to determine if there was any restaging of my cancer. The entire process took about four hours.

Then, after four days of waiting, I sat anxiously in my oncologist’s office, waiting for him to come in with the latest findings. 

He walked in and placed down his clipboard. I looked at him sternly and said, “Give me the bottom line up front doc.” He basically stated “there is no significant re-staging of the cancer” … of which I began to smile from his initial diagnosis … but he added, “there are three areas of increased hypermetabolic activity in your body. This could, however, be related to the post-infusion treatment. To be sure, I want to conduct another PET/CT in three months to check those three areas again.”

There it is…just the facts today.

Alas, the life of a cancer fighter.

ajh