We’re going home!

Leslie and I are in Nashville. We came here from Florida to spend Christmas with Stephanie, and also to get a second opinion on radiation therapy from the doctors at Vanderbilt Medical Center’s esteemed cancer program.

We met with a medical oncologist. She reviewed all the reports from Cleveland Clinic and said Leslie did not need radiation therapy. Then we talked with a radiation oncologist who said she did need it. Both, however, thought it was appropriate to take Leslie’s case before Vanderbilt’s tumor board, an interdisciplinary group that looks at cancer cases from many perspectives and makes recommendations.

They met Wednesday, January 3, and unanimously recommended no radiation. That’s what we wanted to hear.

Now we can go home and do what’s called “surveillance.” That means regular follow-ups to make sure Leslie remains cancer-free. Every three months for the first two years, then every six months for the next three years. After five years, she is considered a cancer survivor. The first follow-ups are scheduled at Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Florida, for the first week in March.

We have booked flights to Guadalajara for the coming week. Next post from Ajijic, México!

Hasta luego!