Four and a Half Years Huh?

Hello Everyone,

This is Dan taking over the blog duties as Jess Zapiain has returned to the UAE. We had our first follow up meeting with the Dr's since leaving the hospital and got some good news and some bad news.

First the good news. The biopsy report on Jess's tumor came back and she was diagnosed with a grade 2 tumor, which is the best possible grade, considering grade 1 tumors are reserved for children.

Now the bad news. The Dr's were unable to remove the entire tumor because it is integrated with Jess's brain in such a way that removal of all the tumor would require removal of her functioning brain as well. Because there is residual tumor left over, there is a almost certain chance that the tumor will grow back. The Doctors say that the survival rate for someone her age with an astrocytoma II, with such a large volume and mid-line shift is 4.5 years.

To combat the regrowth of Jess's tumor the Dr's are going to be continuing to monitor and evaluate her. Jess will receive a MRI in three months to make sure the tumor is not growing at an unexpectedly rapid pace. After that, there will be MRI's every 3 months for a few years and will eventually be reduced to semi-yearly checks. The reasoning for the frequency of the MRI's is to try and catch a regrowth of the tumor as soon as possible, which makes it easier to treat. This tumor is something that is going to affect Jess for the rest of her life.

Jess attended her first physical therapy session today and did very well, and was scheduled to attend physical therapy sessions three times a week. She will be attending her first cognitive therapy session next Thursday, and will then begin a similar regiment to that of the physical therapy. She also has an appointment tomorrow to remove the fifty two staples in her head. Needless to say, she is not looking forward to this at all. I believe her exact quote was "I so done with pain".

Jess has a long road ahead of her that will be very difficult at times, yet she still carries herself with the combination of goofy-ness and grace that we all know her for. She continually talks about her amazement at the outpouring of support she has received from friends and family.

Jess just asked me to let everyone know that she is blown away by every one's generosity. Every day she gains inspiration from overcoming challenges. She's so happy from all the success! Thank you friends! :)