Ten years, for what?

It has been ten long years since Doctor David Ebb announced to us that we, the medical staff at MGH, Massachusetts General Hospital and of course all those who have gone before, cured Orion's brain cancer. Now he is a PhD researcher at the university of Florida PSSL https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/01/06/NTGS/3f9f0cda-6148-4fa9-8c81-858657acc8ba-lisa-gw-final_fullres.jpg?width=1320&height=1020&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

These years seem to slip away faster and faster but this one with the world pandemic of CoVid-19 I think will never end. Orion is still fine. No return of his brain cancer! He lives in a Michigan with his wife and in-laws but will soon move to Florida to begin his second Post-doctoral research position at the University of Florida.

Another year cancer free!

Eight Years after the rout of the cancer cells by chemo Orion now has his PhD in physics and is working in France at the feet of the Alps in Annecy. He continues his search for gravitational waves with the EU’s VIRGO project. His wife Marika has joined him for his two year appointment at Laboratoire d’Annecy de Physique des Particules.    https://lapp.in2p3.fr/

Seven years cancer free!

Seven years since Doctor David Ebb at MGH in Boston opened up the latest scan of my son Orion's brain cancer. Seven years of recovery, seven years of life, seven years of physics research. He is now married and in his last year of graduate study on Gravitational Waves.

I shall never forget Dr. Ebb saying, “it’s gone!”.

Imagine! I let the 6th anniversary of Orion's Cure go by without comment. Normalcy seems to be creeping into our lives.

He has had a fine year, continuing to work on his research into discovering more gravitational waves. I think he might say that his big news is that he will be married this summer to a wonderful woman- Marika.

So for all of you filled with doubt and fear about NGGCT, take heart!

Five Times Around the Sun

Five Times Around the Sun

It was this time five years ago that Doctor David Ebb of Massachusetts General Hospital peered at the screen of his computer and declared that Orion's brain tumor had vanished after two cycles of chemotherapy. Four more cycles and then a summer of radiation was yet to come but for me the tide had turned and victory was no more than a long slog ahead.

I prefer not to think of that time. Instead I revel that Orion looks great, sounds great and is doing great work as a PhD candidate in physics at the University of Michigan. He is on the team, LIGO, the Large Interferometer Gravitational Observatory that just announced the discovery of gravitational waves. A nice little accessible article is http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/gravitational-waves-exist-heres-how-scientists-finally-found-them

In our family we each mark Orion's ordeal at a different time. For Sally it is diagnosis day, December 24th, For me it is March 1 and the chemical rout of the tumor. For Orion it is the end of treatment.

Still here? So is Orion.

Another clear MRI under his belt, normal chemical markers.