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Hattie's Cancer Journey

My daughter Hattie was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called botryoid rhabdomyosarcoma in July 2013 when she was 16 months old. After about a year and a half of chemotherapy, radiation and multiple surgeries, she was declared cancer free in December 2014. I'm posting a photo and short reflection every day in 2015 to celebrate the end of treatment and reflect on the journey.
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12. 7/30 - 7/31/2013 - Happy at dinner.
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12. 7/30 - 7/31/2013 - Happy at dinner.

By this point, we were accustomed to bursts of medical appointments and new information followed by periods of waiting. Toddlers are pretty amazing in their ability to recover quickly and focus on their immediate surroundings. Hattie was too little to be concerned about her impending diagnosis or how it would affect the rest of her life. All she cared about was eating what she wanted to eat, playing what she wanted to play and seeing how much TV she could convince her parents to let her watch. A normal 21st century toddler, in other words.

The calm between the storms was tough because you knew your world would be turned upside down again in a short amount of time. Looking back, those periods of waiting were absolutely essential and gave us a great appreciation for the simple things like a messy dinner.

  • 1. 7/14/2013 - Just a 16 month old in a box, drinking milk and watching Curious George.
  • 2. 7/16/2013 - Our eighth wedding anniversary.
  • 3. 7/18/2013 - Waiting is the hardest part.
  • 4. 7/20/2013 - Swimming with a friend.
  • 5. 7/22/2013 - A long day at the hospital.
  • 6. 7/23 - 7/25/2013 - More waiting.
  • 7. 7/26/2013 - First scans.
  • 8. 7/27/2013 - Waiting for scan results.
  • 9. 7/27 - 7/28/2013 - Dancing with friends.
  • 10. 7/29/2013 - Kate and Hattie look at fish before surgery.
  • 11. 7/29/2013 - Post-surgery playing at home.
  • 12. 7/30 - 7/31/2013 - Happy at dinner.
  • 13. 8/1/2013 - Defiant after diagnosis.
  • 14. 8/3/2013 - Swinging fun.
  • 15. 8/4/2013 - Hattie's port-a-cath.
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