[Oe List ...] Wonderful News to Share

[Beret Griffith]

Thank you for sharing your wonderful news about Misha!
Beret & Paul

On Mon, Nov 14, 2022 at 6:02 PM Jann McGuire via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
wrote:

> what a powerful story. Thank you for sharing.
>
> Jann
>
> On Mon, Nov 14, 2022 at 3:15 PM Joyce Sloan via OE <
> oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
>
>> Indeed that is Wonderful news!!! Dear Bekah--BREATHE!! Much love and a
>> bunch of hugs 'n kisses!🤗😘🥰
>>
>> On Mon, Nov 14, 2022, 10:42 AM Paula Philbrook via OE <
>> oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
>>
>>> My dear league of Colleagues,
>>> I wanted to share this wonderful news: Misha (child of Marjorie Rebekah
>>> Otto grandchild of . . .  and great grandchild of Marge and Phil Philbrook)
>>> is doing really well, and as of Friday Nov 11, he is done with cancer
>>> treatment. Thank you all for your support, prayers and energy in the two
>>> years since his diagnosis.
>>>
>>> See Bekah's reflections below and Raphi's beautiful words and pictures
>>> at this link. Raphi's update with pics  Raphi's update with pics
>>> <https://www.notion.so/Good-News-21079a9b584c4333994ab81dbc3b473a>
>>>
>>> from M. Rebekah Otto
>>> We’re done
>>>
>>> I have always been a “words” person. If I am not talking, listening,
>>> reading, or writing, I would rather be talking, listening, reading, or
>>> writing.
>>>
>>> Then cancer came, and my words failed. They failed to protect my baby.
>>> They could not save him, only his doctors and his treatment would. I felt
>>> so powerless.
>>>
>>> After weeks of unexplained fevers and doctors dodging appointments
>>> because of COVID, our pediatrician finally examined him and saw that Misha
>>> had small red dots on his stomach and legs, petechiae, a sign of low
>>> platelets. He ordered labs. After dinner, our pediatrician called and said
>>> Misha’s blood labs are abnormal. Something is suppressing the bone marrow.
>>> It might be an unusual infection or it might be leukemia.
>>>
>>> Misha and I were sent to the emergency room immediately for more testing.
>>>
>>> When we got admitted to the hospital that night, the first team of
>>> residents told me, “it’s not a slam dunk” for a leukemia diagnosis. Wow!
>>> What a choice of words. They meant that the labs weren’t completely
>>> indicative, and they needed to do more testing.
>>>
>>> Then in the middle of the night a chatty nurse was taking Misha’s vitals
>>> and checking on me. I could not admit to myself that my baby probably had
>>> cancer. She said, “If it is leukemia, it will be a hard few years. You will
>>> all get through it, and then you will know that you can do anything.” Oh,
>>> what wisdom.
>>>
>>> In the weeks and months after diagnosis, we were terrified and treatment
>>> was its most intense. He had frequent procedures with sedation. He had a
>>> port placed in his chest. His nurses had to stick a needle in it to give
>>> him chemo. He had multiple blood transfusions. His meds made him put on a
>>> lot of weight, and he lost his hair. He didn’t look like himself anymore.
>>>
>>> After about nine months, we graduated to maintenance, with mostly
>>> at-home meds, and it felt manageable. It was full of blood draws and meds,
>>> learning new words like ANC and 6mp and Septra.
>>>
>>> Most of the time has been deeply normal: playdates, soccer practice,
>>> tantrums, TV, school. Somewhere in there we got COVID, went camping, moved,
>>> made new friends, loved each other, argued, watched the bears wrestle at
>>> the zoo, ate a lot of noodles.
>>>
>>> Cancer has been a fog, dangerous and unknown. I couldn’t see beyond it.
>>>
>>> I haven’t wanted to start writing about this journey because it hasn’t
>>> been over. I haven’t known how our cancer story ends, but now it has been a
>>> little more than two years. We are done with treatment today.
>>>
>>> Our baby has been in cancer treatment for half of his life, and I don’t
>>> have words for how happy I am that it’s over and he’s made it.
>>> 11/11/2022
>>>
>>>
>>> Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in
>>> harmony.
>>>     Mahatma Gandhi
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