Good news...

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I know I've been a little MIA the last few days. Life has been busy and crazy lately. And I'm so behind on e-mails, it's not even funny. If you happened to e-mail me recently, I'm a bad girl but I promise I will get back to you!!

But today I have something completely different on my mind. My Mom, my sweet, beautiful Mom. I know I haven't given you many updates on her health, especially recently. Honestly, I'm trying to be cautious about the expectations or, maybe, trying to avoid disappointment. Had a fair share of those in the past few months... But the news is too big to hold!

You might remember that she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma back in September of 2013. Since her diagnosis we've learned a lot about her disease, all the good, and the bad, and the ugly. Lots and lots of ugly. I went to be with her when she started chemo treatment.

Fast forward seven months, six rounds of chemo, countless hours in the hospital and on the phone, sharing many cries and laughs, last week my Mom was officially declared in remission!!It's not the end. It's only a step for us but a very exciting one, nonetheless. Remission in patients with multiple myeloma means something a little different. Her next and most important step at this point is a stem cell transplant. And it's not a standard treatment for people over 50 in my country. And Mom is 55...

So on Thursday she got all of her papers and went by herself to Moscow (the only city where they even perform the surgery). She had a great conversation with a doctor at the Hematological Clinic there who gave us hope. The doc told Mom that with her test results, she's a perfect candidate for this treatment! She wants to schedule her for a surgery soon. We should find out more some time next week.

I'm very cautiously hopeful right now. But my heart is also bursting with gratitude. I feel so humbled and thankful!

Yesterday Hubby and I had a chance to go to a Multiple Myeloma conference. I have many questions about Mom's treatment that is different from how it's done here. After the official part of the conference many still went unanswered. But the guest doctor they had to talk there was so much help! He is originally from Germany and moved to the US just a few years prior. Because of that he knows a lot about how the process is done both in Europe and in Russia. He answered so many of my questions and comforted me. He also said something absolutely amazing - that less than 10% of patients go into full remission after just the initial chemo therapy! It makes me even more hopeful!

I don't know what the future holds. And I know that even after the stem cell transplant the disease will eventually come back. But I know that things happen for a reason, the right people appear on our path because there is a higher plan. Again, I don't know what the future holds but I know, God is good...

And news can be good too! :)