We had taken Greta to the ER the night before and were admitted to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital with a biopsy scheduled for the next day.
Five years ago today, April 28, we heard the words "it's cancer". Our beautiful 17 month old baby girl had cancer, and it was devastating news. We were in a small meeting room with about 15 other family members and I remember trying to stay focused on what the surgeon was telling us while the world was crashing down around us. Five years ago today we sat with our oncologist, Dr. Fahner, who explained to us what the plan was to save our daughter's life. There was little to go by for this type of cancer in a child as young as Greta. Chemo would begin immediately and continue every couple weeks for the next 9 months. Followed by a stem cell transplant that would require a 27 day stay in a small hospital room. And after the year of treatments was over, we got to take our daughter home, cancer free.
2008 was a very long year. One that I still relive and sometimes keeps me awake at night. I remember at that time, during her stays in the hospital, thinking how great it would be to skip ahead to today and be five years removed from all of it. Five years means her odds of a relaspse goes way down and I just wanted to be there and not have to worry so much. Which I now know will never go away no matter what the odds say. I worry every time she has fever, every time she says she has a headache, and every time she complains that her legs hurt. I worry every time she has a cold that lasts just a little too long. I worry when she sleeps in longer than usual. And most of all, I worry when the time comes for the yearly scan and I may have to hear those dreaded words again.
I was right though, being at the 5 year mark feels amazing! What a miracle we made it to this point! How blessed we are to get to enjoy her silliness, her giggles, her attitude, her sassiness, her snuggles, her laughter, her playfulness, her kisses and hugs, her athleticism and her pure joy of life. So today we celebrate the past 5 years we weren't sure we would get to have with her and look forward to the many more fun and exciting days that her life is sure to bring us.
So yes, 5 years! Really! Praise God!
The Betz Family
