Today marked the one-year anniversary of Grant's exact cancer diagnosis...a day Damon nor I will ever forget. After what seemed like the longest few days of our lives - the time between the biopsy and meeting o Phoenix Children's "Tumor Board - the two of us sat in Granty's room on the eighth floor and listened to the Chief of Oncology (a neuro-oncology specialist) explain Grant's condition. I don't think the two of us have ever been so attentive to someone in our entire lives, as I took meticulous notes and Damon recorded the conversation on his iPhone. I'm sure delivering news like that is one of the most difficult aspects of an Oncologists' job, but Dr. Etzl's delivery attained the perfect balance of information and the human element of the situation. We immediately knew Grant was receiving the best care possible, a nice feeling of reassurance in a difficult time.
Soon thereafter, I quickly assigned myself with the task of attaining as much information about pilomyxoid astrocytomas as I possibly could. I tried to follow the advice of the Oncology team - stay off the Internet! - and relied largely on scientific articles and medical journals for information...my sister Terri (with her PhD in Genetics) was a big help. When I began college, I had intentions of becoming a neonatologist, so this was my opportunity to dabble in the medical field; it was unfortunate the situation was so close to home.
One year later, I can say that this was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. Until I was personally affected by cancer, I had no idea about the prevalence of childhood cancer and, sadly, the limited research and resources to understand and cure the disease.
The past year has been a learning experience that has profoundly affected my life in a positive way. Good things have and will continue to happen because of Granty's life and ordeal....
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| Bright-eyed and alert after meeting with Dr. Etzl. |
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