An Easter Miracle

We feel as if we have truly had our own Easter miracle in the Anello family this week.

We thought the results on Tuesday would be giving us more of an idea of how much time we had left together, to see how much the cancer had grown and where we would go from here.

We received news that completely amazed all of us.

The doctors have no explanation. 

Simply a miracle. 

Straight from the report:

The spot on his liver has "markedly improved and is barely visible on the current exam... and no other lesions are found" The word 'significantly' was also used in the report about the improvement. His blood work was all normal and doctors said everything looks normal and great!! The radiologist said he can see where the spot used to be, but as far as he's concerned, there is nothing there.

Now, the time we have left together is indefinite. 

There are simply no words, just more tears... tears of happiness. We're still dumbfounded, humbled, grateful, speechless, and most of all, just thankful beyond words. It was nothing we expected but everything we wished, hoped and prayed for. The doctor said it is the best news he could give, and it is most certainly the best news we could have ever received. We pray the scans in 3 more months are just as amazing!

Had my dad not had the surgery last May, doctors said he would have only lived about six months.

I know I haven't be too specific about the prognosis in January, I did that on purpose because we were trying really hard not to focus on the time we had left.  Truth is, we were told by the doctors in January that he had "months to a year" to live. To live, and that's what we had decided to do.

This is a very fast-growing, aggressive cancer. Much like pancreatic cancer, it doesn't give a lot of warning. Although no doctor can accurately determine "exactly how long" a patient has to live, they can approximate in days, weeks, months, years. His was months. We weren't even making plans past June because we didn't know how he would feel at that point; that's a horrible thing for any family to have to do. My dad was living, knowing that he was dying. I'm so very proud of him for handling it with such grace, faith, peace and optimism. In these past months I've truly seen a side of my dad that I had never seen before.

We are now on top of a mountain, thankful for this second chance at life. Even though this cancer has taken our family on a roller coaster to hell and back, it has taught us the true meaning of what living should be. I hope that we never, not a single day, take this lesson and miracle for granted.  Life is so very precious. Our family is so thankful and in awe of all the blessings we've been given this past year. God is surely capable of doing more than our wildest dreams.


This week has most definitely brought new life for all of us. 
Never has Easter meant so much to my little soul. 

Paradise.

The past week pretty much consisted of this:

PARADISE.

Our family had such an incredible trip. It's hard for me to even find words to describe it. 

The ship, Allure of the Seas, was like none other, a truly stunning ship. I know some people aren't crazy about cruises or have no interest in them but I think this ship could most definitely change any one's mind about cruises. This ship was amazing. Not to mention, the VIP treatment they gave us was totally outstanding- ocean view balconies, a couple bouquets with a dozen roses, and daily champagne with cheeses, fruits, and sweets delivered to the room. We had access to a VIP deck, concierge lounge with free drinks, VIP admittance and seating in all the shows, even a private tour up to the bridge to meet the captain... really, everything was quite nice.  

The islands we visited were breathtaking. The weather was perfect. The beaches were beautiful. The water was pristine. It was paradise. 

But, what's even better than ALL of that? The memories that were made-- the laughs, the jokes, the kisses and hugs, the conversations, the adventures, and the moments. All the priceless, happy moments. The 10 of us truly had the most fun and happy week. I think it exceeded all our expectations, I know it sure did for me. These really are memories that all of us will cherish for the rest of our lives. Different days, different comments would be made from all of us about what a perfect day it was. 

Somehow we managed to squeeze so much happiness into one little week. It was exactly what we wanted and needed. The essence of the whole trip was truly perfect. 

But then Saturday came and as hard as I tried to fight it, avoid it, escape it, and not think about it... I was often reminded that it was coming to an end and we would be going back to 'the real world'. I laid in bed Friday night and fought tears. I didn't want this perfect, happy week to ever end. I felt like a selfish little child who had their favorite, beloved little security blanket wrapped tightly in my hands, held so close to my heart.... knowing it was going to soon be taken away. I desperately wanted that week to last forever. 

Don't get me wrong, I am BEYOND grateful to have had this trip and I wouldn't have never traded it for the world. It was crying more for how grateful I was to have had this experience and these memories and how scared I am about what this trip was intended for--- to make these precious memories now because we might not have many other chances; that we really do need to bottle up all these moments now because this will be all that we have later. That's a really hard pill to swallow when you take a step back and think about it. It just gives me a big lump in my throat and makes my heart hurt. It's difficult to even go there yet. 

And so here I am, in the middle of the night writing this blog because sleep escapes me. My dad's scans were today and results are tomorrow. Waiting for scan results is awful. 

The Rest of the Story

Yes, we were on the Ellen Show! It was so exciting, surreal, crazy, fantastic, with a little bit of nervousness thrown in there.

You can't come close to including everything into a short little clip, so here's the "rest of the story".

When I said, "tough year" for our family, let me break it down:

In April my mom and I were in Ethiopia. We all thought my dad was just going in for a procedure to check for gallstones. Alone in his office, my mom and I on the other side of the world, the doctor told my dad he had pancreatic cancer. 

After hearing the news, we had to wait two days for the next flight out of Ethiopia (add 2 days travel). We finally arrived home and the very next week my parents flew down to MD Anderson for a consultation. Fortunately, a surgery opened up, he qualified, so they scheduled him for surgery the very next Monday. It was Mother's day weekend, so I flew down to Houston for Mother's day and the surgery. 

Monday, May 14, my dad had a 10 hour Whipple surgery. It's a doozie- essentially, they open you up and take a little from here, a little from there... more of here, and some from there. The surgery went really well. The surgeons were amazing, my dad did great, pathology even came back with results that clear margins were obtained and all the cancer was out. That was a really good thing.

In June my parents finally came home from Houston. My dad had lost about 30-ish pounds and was still on a feeding tube that had to be changed twice a day. He slowly started eating foods again, feeding tube came out, he gained strength, even started playing tennis again. Then he started a six month regimen of chemotherapy which was being used as a preventative measure just to "make sure" everything was gone. 

Did I mention that my mom was being a total trooper through all of this and was having horrible hip problems? She had to stay at a weekly, extended stay, hotel in Houston and walk to/from the hospital every day. To say the pain was awful was an understatement  It came to a point where she couldn't put it off any longer, went to the doctor and found out there was no other option than a total hip replacement. 

October 1, she had a hip replacement, followed by about a month of rehab, using a walker, etc. Compared to a Whipple it might look a lot less "serious", but it's still pretty intense.  

Christmas was SO VERY happy for us. My dad had just finished chemotherapy, my mom was walking pain free--- we were all alive and counting every single blessing. We were ready to go into the new year with a new start and have that really hard year behind us.

In January my parents went down for my dad's routine (every 3-months) scans. A spot was found on his liver. It was nothing we expected, we were utterly blindsided by the news.  

This is where we are today. We don't know exactly how much time we have left together. We pray every single day that it's more than what doctors might think. This is the thing-- we don't focus on "how much time we have left". We focus on the quality of time we have left. Our family is choosing joy. We are choosing to take this hand that life has dealt us. We are living life like EVERYBODY should live their lives anyway. Nobody, not a single one of us, knows when we will die. Shouldn't we all live our lives in a way that makes the most of today? We are happy. If we choose anything but optimism and happiness it's simply going to be a waste of really precious time. 

Maybe there's a silver lining to cancer. We get to say things and do things that maybe we would have been too busy or mindless to do. I get to ask my dad words of wisdom that will last me my entire life. I get to tell him my hopes and dreams, and reassure him that we will all be okay. He has worked so hard and created an amazing life, family, and legacy. There are no words for how much my heart breaks thinking of him not being here. I wish more than anything I didn't have to watch my mom go through this. I wish that he could watch me raise kids. I wish.... so much. 

I don't know what our future holds, but I do know this. I have had 27 years with a dad that most girls only dream of having. He has invested so much love, support and encouragement into my life in these 27 years that I KNOW I will be okay for the rest of my entire life. 

I had never written into a tv show before, nor did I think this little 1500 character email would go anywhere. Ellen gets thousands of letter from families saying "thank you for brightening up my day". I'm just a normal daughter who wishes I could show the world how amazing my parents truly are, I just so happened to get that chance. My mom and dad celebrated 31 years of marriage on Wednesday while we were in LA for the show. I consider myself so extremely blessed to have them, and to have the Ellen staff take the time to hear our story. I pray that somehow we touched other people who watch. Our message is simply this-- enjoy every day, cherish every moment you're given, and hold your loved ones tight.... and make lots of awesome memories!  

This entire experience has given us extraordinary memories. Ellen is obviously just as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside, she truly makes this world a better place for everybody. Her staff is all pretty incredible too! 

Now... for the trip of a lifetime! We get to go enjoy a trip that would have never ever been possible without this experience-- all 10 of us are going!!

We will all hold these memories so close to our hearts for the rest of all our entire lives.