One Week In: #CancerSucks

Let's be real here:  This week has been about as bad as one would expect when their 17-year-old daughter is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.

Obviously, there's been the constant barrage of texts, Facebook posts and phone calls asking about what is going on from people who genuinely just want to know.  They are concerned.  You realize just how hard that is for someone to stay on top of when you are in that position.

So, I guess that's why I moved my earlier post that I did the first night to this new blog.  Besides, I don't know how often I am going to feel like keeping up the tone that I have been keeping on The Avery Family.

After 3 or 4 times repeating the same information (sometimes that you really would not rather repeat because it increases the reality of it all), you tire at the thought of going through it again, no matter how good of a friend is calling.

Now, this is not to say that you should all stop calling or texting.  Not at all.  But this will make it easier to get many of the details of this journey to you for us.

It's called rhabdomysarcoma. It is pretty exclusively a childhood cancer, although it can affect, in rare cases, adults.

We have met with 2 oncologists this week, with another planned next week. She has had CTs, MRIs, PET/CTs, other labs and samples done all throughout this week.  She's been at doctors more than at school this week.

What we hear, so far, seems to be optimistic - and we are going to take it and run with it.  Optimism notwithstanding, the treatment will be chemotherapy, no matter what.  Matti, on hearing from a doctor (although she certainly had an idea, but, again, hearing it from a doctor makes it sink in) that she will be losing her hair during the chemotherapy, decided she is going to take control of something she can in a situation where she will not have a lot of control over.

So, on Wednesday night, she had her hair cut very short. Very short.  She is so beautiful.  Hair length can't change that, in case you were wondering.

However, it does make it easier to prepare for her princess party gigs.  The wigs fit much more easily and with less prep time braiding hair.  Heavens know how much time I have spent in the last few weeks braiding tiny tight braids all around her head and...oh...yeah...that was Nicki, not me.  You get the idea, though.

Please don't be offended if we don't talk to you about all the details sometimes.  We promise we will not get offended by the well-intended, but (frankly) stupid remarks that come out of some of your mouths. You are our friends and family. We love you. We know you love Matti.  And everyone else, but right now mostly Matti.

More to come...