On this the day of my daughter’s wedding Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month beginning, the universe did me a solid favor…

3 weeks ago at the beginning of my last cycle of chemo my CA 125 was pretty high- 1900 (generally “normal” is 21 or below. I haven’t been in the double digits in a good long time)

Today, Dr. Robison called me personally at work to deliver the news the my CA-125 tumor marker came back as 759.

I don’t think I’ve ever had such a dramatic drop within one cycle. There are so many factors that can influence this number: less inflammation in the body, no infections, chemo doing it’s damn job, nourishing my body with better food. So that said, no need for a CT scan right now and we will just stay the course with my current treatment plan.

I cannot scientifically prove this, but I want to believe that my tumor marker came down as a result of the love, laughter, and good times spent with my family last weekend on the Cape. It’s not often that my brother and his girlfriend are on the east coast so it was an extra special visit.

Oh and Cory and I went to a food truck festival on the Cape Cod fairgrounds and ate SO much incredible food- BBQ, Vietnamese, hipster grilled cheese, ice cream…

It wasn’t long ago that I sat behind my keyboard and drafted a blog post in tears considering that I may never eat normally again. This sounds dramatic, but a g-tube was a real possibility that most of the residents were in favor of at that time. Just weeks ago I didn’t have much reassurance that my body would “know what to do” and process solid food as it once had. In a short time I’ve gone from not eating to fearing food to re-teaching the body how to eat to enjoying the experience of dining.

You don’t truly realize how much the act of eating food factors into your day, your social experiences, and your mental health. Treasure every bite my friends.

Anyway, I’ll hop off my soapbox and let you in on some of last weekend’s good times.

As horrendous of a summer as it was, I can say that the past few weeks have totally salvaged it.

Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to share the cherry on top of great news and welcome my baby cousin Vincent into this world. Vinnie- you will know nothing short of infinite love. Congratulations Sara and Ray!!