Hi everyone, 

We have more wonderful news to share! Nicole reached her 6-month treatment milestone and underwent a brain MRI, PET/CT scan and blood work. The tests revealed that the chemo medication is working. She has achieved a "nearly complete metabolic response," meaning the brain lesions are almost completely gone. After reviewing the MRI study, Dr. Ney said her brain stem looks like any other normal, healthy brain stem should look. There is no more evidence of any disease affecting that part of her brain. There is also improvement in the lesions affecting her lungs and bones. It is very encouraging to know that she is still tolerating the medication well with minimal side effects and it is working to essentially stop the underlying mutation in her blood. Dr. Ney is thrilled with her results so far. He said this is the best possible outcome he could have expected up to this point. 

Over the past few months of treatment, we've observed her symptoms improving steadily, but it was quite a relief to have objective confirmation from the Dr. to validate her improvement. Now that the disease process affecting her brain stem is under control, we are seeing clear signs that her brain is beginning to repair itself and compensate for the damage that occurred. Her energy and stamina levels are much improved. Her vision, balance and speech are improving as well. Dr. Ney said neurological recovery takes time due to the complexity of the brain, however, we are all thrilled with her excellent response so far.