Hello all! I am back with a long overdue blog post. I will give an update on the best checkup Morgan just had as well as an update on life in general. Let's jump right in!

Seven Years of Marriage

Today marks seven years of marriage to my best friend. I often find myself wondering, "how did I get so lucky to marry this incredible woman I started dating when we were just kids?". I am pretty sure I will still be looking for the answer 50 years from now! She jokingly asked me last night "if I was tired of her since I spent more time with her in year seven compared to every other year of our marriage". Far from it, my love.

This seventh year of marriage tested us in ways we couldn't have imagined. It also made our marriage stronger. I can say without a doubt that I love Morgan more today than I did a year ago and I never thought that could be possible. There were plenty of valleys this past year, and equally as many peaks. Looking back on it all, I am thankful for the way it has shaped us into who we are today and who we will become in the future as parents. I CANNOT wait for the day I get to call Mo "Mom". She is going to be the best. 

Remission and a Relentless Tumor

As many may recall, I did not write a blog post the day Morgan reached remission and instead we spread the news via other social media and word of mouth channels. One reason for not writing the blog was that we were exhausted and it happened just before Christmas, so we had little to no free-time for blog-writing. A more simple expression of "WOO HOO WE REACHED REMISSION" seemed to be the best approach at the time.

Another reason we didn't write the blog, was because of the uncertainty we were facing due to the tumor remaining in Morgan even though chemo was complete. This was very rare (shocker Mo was still beating the bad odds) across women with Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia who went through chemo. Typically while receiving chemo, the cancerous cells are not only being killed, but the tumor itself also sheds.

Dr. F assured us that the tumor, while still inside of her, was dormant/benign and about 1.9cm in diameter. This meant it wasn't growing and did not contain cancerous cells. All good indicators. The negative side to this was related to future pregnancies. If the tumor did not shed by the time Morgan and I are able to try for a baby again in December, then it would need to be surgically removed via a second D&C.

Recall, Mo had a D&C back in August of last year to remove cysts related to the molar pregnancy. A D&C brings with it scar tissue and the more scar tissue built up in the uterus, the higher risk a pregnancy becomes. So with that in mind, Morgan and I were terrified of the knowledge that she is walking around with a tumor inside of her, regardless of being told it was benign. 

(IF YOU DON'T LIKE DISCUSSION OF BLOOD/PERIODS SKIP THE NEXT COUPLE PARAGRAPHS) Morgan spent the next 7.5 months shedding the tumor. Since it is in her uterus, it sheds via bleeding. Some weeks she would shed every day, and then other weeks there might have just been light spotting. When she would go a week or two with no blood, we would get our hopes up thinking the tumor was gone, only for blood to return before our next scheduled ultrasound. That would then lead to us to cancelling many ultrasounds, because we already had confirmation the tumor was still there.

To say the least, this was a very frustrating and disheartening process. With the blood as a reminder of the tumor still inside Mo, there was a constant uneasiness lingering with us.  

Which leads us to this past Friday, August 5th, when Morgan went in for her ultrasound because it had been a week of no bleeding. She called me right after and I could immediately tell something wasn't right. She told me the ultrasound technician took a few minutes looking around and could not find anything. At this point, Morgan was thrilled and told the ultrasound technician, “Great! I hope you never find it.”. The ultrasound tech then spotted what she understood to be the tumor at half or less than the size it was previously measured at 4 months prior at Mo’s last ultrasound. This was not good news that it was still there!

When Mo got home, we looked online at the report from the ultrasound and all it said was "ultrasound - negative". We were confused by this but knew there would be an update to the report with more details after Dr. F and the radiologist looked at the ultrasound. An hour later, the report was updated and it simply said "Morgan, your ultrasound looks good!"

This led to more confusion as we were used to a detailed report coming after each ultrasound in the past that described the measurements of the tumor. So we called the oncologist, who ensured us the ultrasound was “negative”. Which meant the tumor was gone! Prayers answered!

We went through the full range of emotions Friday. Hopeful in the morning, then dejected, and then elated. It was the best anniversary gift we could have asked for. I am so very thankful! Mo feels as if all of this is finally coming to an end. It had been over a year since the mole from the molar pregnancy initially started growing and 14 months later it is officially gone!

Life Since Reaching Remission

Reaching remission just before Christmas was a major milestone and we thankfully were able to celebrate it with family during the Holiday. On NYE, Morgan wasn't even 2 weeks removed from her last day of chemo, and yet she was a bridesmaid in one of her best friend's wedding here in Charlotte. A true testament to her strong will as she was still feeling side effects from chemo, but would not miss the wedding.

I will admit, I was terrified Morgan (with her weakened immune system) would get sick as we had limited our exposure to people for the past few months. We did both get covid from the wedding, but it was a mild case! 

Mo gradually felt better and better each day for two to three months post-chemo. I cannot tell you how happy it made me to see her progress every day. Each day brought new energy and excitement to do things we hadn't been able to for quite some time. Being that we have to wait a year post-chemo to try for a baby, we knew this would be a big travel year to fill the time while we are waiting.

In April, we had a quick celebratory trip to Madrid, Spain (we had to cancel the original celebratory trip to Mexico when we got covid). After hundreds of tapas, a hot air balloon ride, and all the sight-seeing we could fit in, I felt like I finally had my Mo back! It was the perfect celebration trip.

Since then, we have travelled to Jamaica for my cousins wedding, the Greek Isles, and to the lake with Mo’s family. We have plans for quite a bit more travel through the end of the year (including watching the Saints in London - let us know if you will be there!).

These days you can find us cheering for the newest MLS franchise, Charlotte FC. Being the sports fanatics that we are, we finally have a team in Charlotte that we can fully support (instead of being the rival Saints fans in our friend group). The games have been a blast. Before you knock it, come check out a game with us and if you don’t have a fun time, I will pay for your ticket!

We thank you all for the love, prayers, and checking in this past year. It has been a long journey, and we could not have done it without your support. I am forever grateful!

hCG Tracker:

8/13 (Pre-D&C) -------------------235,000

8/27 -----------------------------------7,400

9/2 -------------------------------------2,700

9/9 -------------------------------------3,800

9/16 ---------------------------------16,000

9/20 ---------------------------------30,000

9/24 ---------------------------------45,000

10/1 (Pre-chemo) -----------------66,000

10/10 (Chemo week) ------------37,000

10/15 (End of round one) ---------4,700

10/24 (Chemo week) ---------------297

10/29 (End of round two) ------------91

11/7 (Chemo week) -------------------16

11/12 (End of round three) ------------7

11/21 (Chemo week) -------------------2

11/24 (End of round four) -------------1

12/5 (Chemo week) ------------------<1

12/10 (End of round five) ------------<1

12/19 (End of round six) -------------<1

12/22 (Check-up) ---------------------<1

12/29 (Check-up) ---------------------<1

1/5 (Check-up) ------------------------<1

1/12 (Check-up) -----------------------<1

1/20 (Check-up) -----------------------<1

1/26 (Check-up) -----------------------<1

2/23 (Check-up) -----------------------<1

3/23 (Check-up) -----------------------<1

4/27 (Check-up) -----------------------<1

5/12 (Check-up) -----------------------<1

6/29 (Check-up) -----------------------<1

7/20 (Check-up) -----------------------<1