Take that, cancer... again!

I went to Vancouver on Friday for a PET Scan to see if my stem cell transplant worked. Today my oncologist called to let me know that he received the results, and I am cancer-free yet again.

Yeah!

I beat Stage IV Lymphoma twice!

Thank-you Dr. Yee, Dr. Thant, Dr. Abou Morad, and the amazing nurses at the Victoria Cancer Agency, Vancouver Cancer Agency, Royal Jubilee Hospital, and Vancouver General Hospital. All of you literally saved my life.

And of course I couldn't have gotten through this for a second time without the care and support from my loving wife Kaitlin, both our families, and all our friends. I'd love to name every single one of you but I know I'd accidentally miss someone. Please just know that you all live in my heart and I will never forget how much you were (and still are) there for me.

From here on out, I will be getting blood tests every month. I'll see my stem cell doctor at the end of March, and my oncologist in May for check-ups.

In May I will also start receiving all my childhood vaccinations again, but that will happen over a period of two years. Since our baby is due in May, maybe we can get our vaccines together?

My doctors have said I should wait until September to start teaching again. Although I am feeling physically half-decent, my energy and focus still fluctuates quite a bit, and I am still extremely immunocompromised. It's actually kind of scary to think that I no longer have protection against things like colds, flues, chicken pox, mumps, measles, rubella, varicella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis... etc... etc...

STAY AWAY FROM ME, GERMY CHILDREN!!!

I don't know what else to write. I am just so relieved that this is all over (again) and I can put all my energy and focus into my continued recovery... and helping out my pregnant wife, of course! I am unbelievably excited to become a father in May, and it's so nice to no longer have cancer be a distraction from that.

I'll post again when I have baby pictures to show you ;)

Thanks for reading,
Christopher