Cancer Free!!!!

Yesterday we walked away from cancer.
FOREVER!
We woke up early for our 3 hour drive to Stanford which didn't feel like the slightest inconvenience since it comes with the freedom of living at home.  We arrived at the cancer center just before 11 AM and got to sit in the common area instead of an isolation room for the first time in almost two months.  Willie was feeling good and looking great! 
"I'm just so happy to be here today." I said to Willie as we took a seat and waited for our nurse.
"Why?" Asked, slightly skeptical.
"I don't know." I replied.  "I guess because it's the first time we've come here just to check in and not for anything else."
He nodded in reply and I sat back in my chair and smiled. 
I was completely content.
A handful of nurses came by and talked with us like we were celebrities at an event.  Each of them congratulated Willie on a job well done and he accepted each remark with grace.  After a few minutes Lenny came over, found himself a rolling stool and sat down in front of Willie.
"Congratulations my friend." He said with a smile so wide I thought his face would split. "We got back the preliminary results on your biopsy and there are no cancer cells to be found!"
Neither of us were expecting to hear results until our appointment on May 1st so this news slapped us both into a stunned silence.
I looked at Willie, who was looking back at me with the same face of shock that must have been on my face.
"You got results back already?" He responded in what must have been the only thought he could grasp.
Lenny laughed and patted Willie on the knee.  "You did it man." He said brightly.  "You did it!"
I exhaled so long and loudly that I think the people across the room may have felt the wind.  It was as if the breath I have been holding since his diagnosis finally found it's escape in this amazing news.  I have imagined this moment when I hoped to hear news like this.  I thought I would cry and throw myself on the ground in exhausted sobs, completely overcome with gratitude.
That didn't happen.
I was overcome with gratitude, but it translated into a feeling of happiness so intense that I can only compare it to the excitement I felt on Christmas morning as a child.  I wanted to stand on my chair and sing out to the world that we had made it, that we did it!
I reached out and touched Willie's other knee and he smiled back at me.
"We did it!" I echoed Lenny.
"We did it." He repeated softly to himself, as if he didn't really believe it.
"That right," Lenny nodded. "You both did this. You couldn't have done it without your awesome wife."
"I am awesome!" I joked.  "I have to remind him how awesome I am though."
"My wife tells me too." He laughed.
He turned to the computer, implying it was time to get back to business.
"We are still waiting on the cytogenetics of the biopsy which will tell us what percentage of the cells are the donors, but I would be surprised if it wasn't 100% donor cells since everything else looks good."
We nodded in reply and he continued to click on the computer.
"Your labs look excellent today so we'll just stick with the current plan and see you in two weeks!"
With that, he shook our hands, congratulated us again then sent us on our way.
It was the shortest appointment we've ever had which is truly ironic since we had to drive 6 hours round trip for it.
But it was worth the good news.
The best news ever!
We left the cancer center walking on air.  I can't remember a time in my life when I have ever felt a sense of complete and utter joy as I did in those moments.  It was the definition of bliss.
We walked over to the F Ground unit to visit Casey.  He was having a hard day and we had nice visit with him. I hate the fact that he is still in the hospital while we get to go home, but I have to remind myself that cancer does not take any two people on the same path.  Casey said he wasn't feeling very inspiring that day and it led to an interesting discussion on staying positive through cancer.  It is no easy task to remain upbeat and happy through the drudgery of treatment.
In fact, I think it's impossible.
Casey is an inspiration as is Willie and any human being who has ever been dragged through the battlefield of cancer and struggled to stand at the end with their heads held high.  They are an inspiration not because they are happy every day or smile in the face of torment, but because they have the courage to face the fears that many of us cannot comprehend.
When we were in the hospital last year waiting for Willie to be diagnosed, a good friend of ours counseled us to have courage to accept the diagnosis he would be given.  We didn't know the full depth of this statement until we were thrown into the fire and our courage was tested on a daily basis.  Courage is defined as the ability to do something that frightens one and strength in the face of pain. 
Cancer has given these men courage beyond any of our ability to understand.
It has tumbled them through a course of refinement until all of their rough edges have been polished and they have shined like precious stones.
It has pushed them to the very edge of their capacity, past the point where the rest of us would have waved a flag in the air while shouting "I give up! I can't do this anymore!"
They are men of complete and total courage.
And their courage brings us hope to face our fears that are far less challenging.
And that, Casey, is what makes you inspiring!

Today I am overwhelmingly grateful for the events of this past year.  Willie still has a lot of healing to do and we know our lives will never be the same, but I am happy to accept that.  We are different people than we were a year ago when we began this journey. 
We are better.
We are stronger.
Above all, we have gained a deep and personal relationship with our loving Father in Heaven who has sustained our hope, quieted our fears and provided us with miracles beyond comprehension.
It is this gift that I am most deeply grateful for and one that makes this trial a small price to pay for the reward it has given.
I feel we have walked through the fires of Hell and come out happier because of it.  The concept boggles my mind, but it is undeniable.   I now stand with a firm conviction that there is no trial so big that it is impossible to conquer.  There were times along our path where the weight of the burden brought us to our knees, but these were the times when we looked upward and cried out for help. 
There is always divine help awaiting those who ask.  I know this because we never would have made it without the silent support of heavenly hands that helped carry our load when it seemed we couldn't go a step further.  God does not take our burdens from us, but he is always waiting to help us carry the load.
Thank you all for your love, prayers, thoughts, donations and overwhelming support.  We have been blessed beyond reason and are most grateful to everyone who helped us along the way. 
Hugs all around!