Thursday, December 14, 2017

A Chanukah miracle

Chanukah is a holiday that celebrates miracles that occurred a long time ago.
There is the military victory of the Jewish Maccabees against the huge Greek army and a seemingly insignificant miracle of one small cruse of oil that lasted eight days. 
We commemorate the miracle of the oil by lighting the menorah. True it was a miracle, but it was just an extension of nature, similar to your cell phone battery almost dying, but lasting until you find your charger.
Often we think of miracles necessarily being against nature, a small untrained army victorious over a huge military presence, but most miracles occur everyday. 
They are an extension of what happens naturally, and are often taken for granted by us. We must work on recognizing the miracles around us and viewing then as a gift from God.
This week I have had my own Chanukah miracle.
On Wednesday, the first day of Chanukah, I had an appointment to get my latest test results.
As the previous scans in November by lungs and brains were totally free of any tumors, as were all my internal organs.
An additional test, called a blood biopsy was done. My lung cancer was not only present in the tumors but also in my blood, causing gene mutation that helped pinpoint treatments. In May of 2017 my blood contained three tumor friendly gene mutations; EGFR, MET-C, and TP53. After being on the newest clinical trial for six months, I have had a 100% response to the gene mutation. My newest test results show no cancer loving DNA mutation in my blood.
I might not have explained it correctly or clearly, but this is truly a Chanukah miracle, an extension of a natural occurrence. With the help of my oncologist, research team and all of your prayers and good wishes I have truly experienced my own Chanukah miracle. 
I hope to continue with this clinical trial and hope to continue seeing miracles everyday.