Complete Remission!

Monday, July 13, 2020

Coming up to our 15th wedding anniversary in just a few days! I asked Matt to hold up a letterboard sign saying "cancer free!" for Instagram but he thought that was cringe-inducing and refused. He was willing to pose for a normal photo though.

If you want to read my previous posts about what Matt has been through since last June, search 'cancer' in the search bar, or start here with the post about his diagnosis.

Exactly 13 months from the date of his first scan, Matt's most recent CAT scan (from July 6th) shows that he is in complete remission from Hodgkin's. We are SO happy to have this behind us.

His oncologist doesn't use the word "cured" until 2 years out, since sometimes Hodgkin's can come back. We were told there is something like a 15% - 20% chance of this happening, so he will be going back for more scans every few months to make sure the cancer stays gone.


We want to give huge thanks to all the doctors and nurses at Beth Israel who took such good care of Matt throughout his treatment!

We'd also like to remind all of you (again) to please go visit your doctor if you are experiencing any strange symptoms – even in the time of Covid, it's better not to put things off when it comes to your health. You can read about the symptoms of Hodgkin's here. (Note the one about pain in your lymph nodes when drinking alcohol. If you experience that, get to a doctor asap.)

A funny story I don't think I've mentioned before in my posts – in the weeks before Matt's diagnosis, we noticed our dog Felix was acting strangely. Although he's always been an affectionate dog with his family members, he seemed especially... clingy, with Matt. So much so that I took some photos of the behavior and we laughed about it. Note Felix, (that's his bum in the picture) pushed up against Matt even though it was a warm Spring night.



As a scientifically-minded person, I am fully willing to admit this might have been a coincidence, or due to the dog feeling some stress for another unknown reason. But there is evidence suggesting that dogs can, in some cases, actually smell cancer. (Note: oncologists' opinions welcome on this topic if you want to comment or message me!)

Since leaving Rue La La in April, Matt is very much enjoying not working (and spending time with our boys and Felix, who is not as clingy these days.) You may see him pitching in on our Sample Sale Mom facebook group from time to time – make sure to follow us there and on Instagram, if you don't already!