Greetings family and friends,

It's been a minute or ten since I've last updated this site about Alex.  The old saying goes, "No news is good news," and that is certainly our case today.

It's also been very busy. It's also hard to believe Alex's senior year in high school is OVER!  This year Alex has achieved so many goals.  In marching band in the fall, he and another student took on the awesome responsibility of assisting a blind underclassman in participating in the show. In following his dreams, Alex began working as a kennel tech at the vet clinic where he had been getting his observation hours for taking the veterinary assistant exam.  He passed said exam and is now a certified vet assistant.  He was not only accepted into Louisiana State University (LSU), he was also accepted into the Odgen Honors College, where he will major in animal science with the goal of vet school. On May 27, Alex graduated Summa Cum Laude from Cy-Fair High School. To say Kyle and I are proud would be a gross understatement. We are blessed beyond measure.

And today, June 16, 2023 was our last "official" visit to MDA!  I use quotes for official because recurrence of Alex's diagnosis of Hodgkin Lymphoma most likely occurs anywhere between the end of treatment (April of 2021) and 2 years after completion of treatment. We will certainly check in and I believe MDA will keep tabs on him for the rest of his life, but he is off the radar, unless he experiences symptoms, of course.

The whole experience was a little surreal this morning.  We had blood draw at 8 am and then the visit. Nothing else. No scans, ultrasound, imaging - that's it.  Upon arriving, we did have to go into the office we've only visited one other time - our first time there to sign off on insurance etc.  This time, ALEX was signing off as he is now 18 years old.  Blood was drawn, we waited about 10 minutes and then we had our visit with Lori, the nurse practitioner.  We were a little sad we missed Dr. Branko, but were glad we were able to say goodbye to a familiar face in Lori. Not all his blood work had come back, but he looks good.  Boom. Done.  After 2 and a half years. Done.  Again, surreal.

When we went back out into the lobby after signing off on the insurance and before blood draw and visit, there was a family of 3 sitting where we had been, so we sat a little ways down from them.  It was a mom, dad and son and it was there very first trip. I couldn't help but reflecting back on our first trip and how uncertain we must have looked.  I felt them watching and listening to us as Alex and I bantered and joked back and forth and I hope they took some comfort that while it's scary, there is life on the flip side.

I'm attaching some recent photos of Alex for your viewing pleasure.

It takes a village and if you are reading this, you are certainly part of ours.  Thank you for your continued prayers and support for Alex.  We could not have made it without you.

Sincerely,
Alex and family