Check Up & Checking Out

We had our last follow up today ( well for 3 months at least). It was an appointment with the retinal specialist. Not going to lie, I was nervous for Ania- not because I was afraid he would see a reoccurrence (a beautifully clear MRI last week eased that fear for me!), I was more afraid because most of his exams have been done under anesthesia. Any time it's not been under anesthesia, many eye drops and a metal speculum have been put into her eye. It's pure torture for her to go through and I to watch. 

Today however, both Ania and I were pleasantly surprised! It was more like a regular eye exam. Just two drops and NO speculum to pry her eye open! At nearly four and a half years old, Ania cooperated in such a pleasant manner! She didn't like the drops of course but resigned herself to taking them pretty quickly. She sat so steady for photographs of her eye, listened to directions ( look up, look down etc.), and cooperated fully during an ultrasound of her eye. I was so impressed by her maturity- I think the doctor was too! Sure Ania has grown physically in the past year but mentally, she has grown leaps and bounds! I am incredibly proud of how she handled today's appointment! I am also incredibly happy that this was the end of check ups for awhile. 

       Having her eye photographed

Going forward, Ania will have this type of  exam done every 3 months and an MRI every 6 months until she is six years old. She will soon have surgery to remove her chemotherapy port as well. By no means normal for a kid her age to endure but we'll take it considering all she has been through! 

               Freedom feels GREAT!

After her appointment this morning, I taught her how to do something really fun! She's been asking me to teach her this for awhile so I finally gave in. Considering she is mature enough to go through all she has endured, it seemed like it was the perfect time to learn something all kids are eager to learn - how to make a bubble with chewing gum! It sounds simple yes but I no longer take simple pleasures for granted!

So now that we are on the downslope of this cancer journey and check ups are slowing down, it's officially time for our family to just enjoy life. Enjoy the day to day simple pleasures!

It's been a long year and it's time for me to check out from the Dainty Warrior blog for a little while. I know many have you have read each and every entry and cried along with me as I documented our story. Thank you very much for joining in on  our journey. Luckily, our story has a happy ending so I hope you allowed yourself some cleansing tears of joy in the end :)

So long for now! Go enjoy some bubblegum in Ania's honor ;) 

God Bless,

Erica