The BEST New Year's Eve

Last night was the best New Year’s Eve — EVER.

There was no fancy outfit. (Although my new purple UGG house shoes are pretty fabulous.)

There was no fancy food. (I cooked a pot of gumbo with a game bird from my husband’s recent hunting trip.)

There were no fancy party guests. (Just one loving husband, two good friends and four handsome guys under the age of three.)

There was one OUTSTANDING champagne toast. We toasted to health and happiness and celebrated my first piece of good health news in almost 15 months.

When you have metastatic cancer, your health is a constant roller coaster. On Wednesday, I might go grocery shopping and out for lunch, and on Thursday I may hurt too badly to get off the couch. And from one day to the next, I have no idea if my cancer is out of control.

In September 2013, my scans showed my cancer was still responding to the drug I was taking. My next scan in December 2013 revealed that it had stopped responding to that drug. After three rounds of trial and error with three different drugs and still no positive news, I was beginning to wonder if my cancer would ever respond to another drug.

The more time without a working drug, the more time my cancer has to grow. In the case of lung and bone disease, growing cancer means more side effects. I started coughing, I started hurting, then we found cancer in my brain, too. My body was telling me it was time for a drug to start working.

And on Tuesday, that’s exactly what we were told. After two infusions in just six weeks of a new trial drug, I am RESPONDING!!!! We are cracking the whip at cancer, and while I know it’s not permanent (until we find a cure, metastatic cancer always comes back) it’s like resetting the clock. Tumors are shrinking, my cough is subsiding, my pain is lessening.....life is good. Just when I was losing faith, I found a piece of solid ground.

So in all of my 34 years, last night was my most remarkable New Year’s Eve EVER. I raised my champagne glass and truly toasted the welcoming of the New Year. Because if anyone deserves a new and better year, it’s me. Welcome 2015, I am so happy you’re here!