I'm Olivia

One of my favorite characters on The Cosby Show was the precocious little Olivia (Denice's stepdaughter). When people would ask Olivia how she was doing, she would respond, "I'm still alive!"

Olivia is also one of my favorite characters in children's literature. This Olivia is a very girlie pig with boundless energy and an inshakable confidence in her ability to do anything. Between these two adorable characters, I have often regretted not naming my daughter Olivia.

I though of The Cosby Show's Olivia after leaving my doctor's office today. I'm still alive! And despite the efforts of the van that almost cut us off on the freeway driving home, I might actually get to stay alive for a little while!

The MRI scan was "good". My brain looks the same as it has for months now, with a tiny little spot on it. It's not known, but it's possible that maybe only scar tissue is left instead of a tumor. Or whatever it is, it doesn't appear to be growing or spreading or doing anything, at least. My doctor was very optomistic as she chatted with me. She confirmed that I was "knee-deep" (NEDP=No Evidence of Disease Progression).

We repeated my lab tests afterward, and depending on how they go I will either go in for a full Avastin/Carboplatin infusion, or just an Avastin infusion (which is less harmful to bone marrow). The latter is what we would do as a maintenance plan after a year. Based on how my MRI's are looking, my doctor didn't seem concerned about postponing the full infusion for now. And in fact, she even suggested that maybe the future could hold the possibility of getting to the point where we have to decide how long to stay on maintenance, if I remain in a NEDP situation. It was a good thing.

Once again, prayers on my behalf have helped me get this kind of result, and they also sustained me during the anxious moments of waiting to hear the result. Huge thanks to everyone who offered those prayers, so that we could spend this evening celebrating! And I can be my own "Olivia" -- still alive and energetic, and confidently anticipating all kinds of possibilities.