The BEST DARN DAY IN SEVENTEEN YEARS

WARNING: Theater kid. Performing artist. Loves to make stupid faces. Wish the Jack Nicholson one were here, but I can't find it.

After an exhausting long day of scans, x-rays, blood-draws and appointments that took up most of Monday, April 6, on the morning of April 7 our son G, who just had his seventeenth birthday

WAS DECLARED CANCER-FREE!

!!!!WootWootWootWootWootWootWootWootWootWootWootWootWootWootWootWootWootWoot!!!!!

We are doing the party dances. We are collapsing in crying, laughing silliness. We are having the ultimate, well-deserved emotional breakdowns that have been waiting in the wings for months.I haven't been able to get on the phone because I just start weeping and babbling uncontrollably.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! (link) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdCrZfTkG1c

Heartfelt thanks to all of you who prayed, helped, drove, called, asked about his welfare, taught and tutored, waited for belated work (his and mine), complimented his hair at various stages, and otherwise supported us and cheered us on. Thanks also for listening to our worries, grousing, and frustration when we had periodic breakdown rants and displayed other inexplicably weird, forgetful, or rude behavior! We apologize.

I hate the traditional "happy face," but actually went out and deliberately got a balloon of one today, and for once I wasn't even being ironic.

I got stupid stuff at iParty and made a shambles of an already hopelessly cluttered house. (Did you know, for example, that in the Children's Medical Center latex balloons are banned? I was so accustomed to that that I never even considered latex, but got mylar . . . these experiences stick with you in odd ways.) I got little strings of happy-colored Chinese lanterns and gobs of garlands and crepe paper and paper lanterns that don't seem to fit any of our lights, but who cares?


I dress up Al O. Pecia (his radiation therapy mask/bust) differently every day. In the photo above, he was Scottish, sporting my favorite knitted pillbox hat with a Celtic design.Today he is Truman Capote (will post pic later). He has also been quite gallant as George Gordon, Lord Byron, in Turkish Dress. G says he will put him on his piano, since everyone has a bust of a famous composer on the piano. And, if he gets in a real muddle, Al will double nicely as a pasta strainer. Good ol' Al O. Pecia. G's hair is coming back in like gangbusters, but oddly a lot lighter than before.

Sputnik.

P.S. I sincerely regret leaving out anyone when I sent thank yous, and for some folks I don't have current contact info. If you know someone else who knows G the phenomenal music kid, please share the joy!
Typically abnormal. loads of medical attention was not able to cure this.


Pretending to behave normally. It's just a clever ruse.