Vince,
I hope this email finds you well. Riley has been doing well since my last update. She had a scan two weeks ago that was negative and she celebrated her 3rd birthday on Nov 2. This was actually the first birthday she had without going to the hospital to have cancer removed. She is developing well and is bright and ahead of her milestones. She does still have some emotional effects of her multiple anesthetics and time in the hospital.
We took her to Hershey and when we went on the factory tour she started crying and kept asking to go home. What child wants to leave a chocolate factory? We figured out after a few minutes that the workers looked like doctors and nurses in their hats and jackets.
Another time we dropped off her older sister at school and Marcie, Riley and I went to close on a refinance for our house. She immediately became quiet and withdrawn. It seemed odd, but we though perhaps she was just tired. She eventually said she didn't want to go to the doctors. She thought we must be going to her doctor appointment since I was home from work on a weekday and we dropped of Morgan somewhere.
We will gladly take these issues over another recurrence! However, I do get sad sometimes when I think of what she had to go through at such a young age. Aside from her clear scan, other good news is a third daughter joining us on Nov 3, Reagan Elise.
I do think of you often, and the girls remember you in their prayers - as do Marcie and I. I hope that the lack of news on the website is a good thing and you are feeling well. The email you sent when Riley had her recurrence helped me through a very difficult time. I felt so utterly hopeless at that point. You were going through such a difficult journey at that point and you took the time to send such an encouraging message. I will always be grateful for those kind words.
I hope you don’t mid the periodic updates. Riley is on the right, Morgan the left and Reagan is the peanut.
Warmest regards,
Joe M.
