Gracias a la vida - Thankful for life

Thanksgiving come and gone

Never thought I would have so very much to be thankful for as this year. Coming up on one year survivorship anniversary.

Gracias a la vida

...is one of my favorite songs written by Mercedes Sosa and a version sung by Joan Baez. My favorite verse goes like this:

Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me ha dado la marcha de mis pies cansados;
Con ellos anduve ciudades y charcos,
Playas y desiertos, montañas y llanos,
Y la casa nuestra, nuestra calle y patio

Translation:

Thanks to a life that has given me so much
It has given me the march of my tired feet;
With them I walked cities and puddles,
Beaches and deserts, mountains and plains,
And led to our house, our street and patio

Here is a YouTube video with both author and singer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMuTXcf3-6A 

Mercedes Sosa and Joan Baez live

And many more

On my last visit with the Oncologist we discussed my finally! stable white blood counts, creeping tumor markers and discussed options. But first, oh joy!!! I am getting a PET/CT scan for my birthday! How wonderful to actually see where the beast resides these days. There is no other way to find out, there is no pain, no symptoms other than some tiny lumps on my lymph nodes appearing out of nowhere in the last month.
So to the scan we go in about a week or two, have yet to schedule.

Options, options...there are now "second generation" magic pills which will give me probably another easy year or maybe more. Apparently the cancer, being as resourceful as moi, learns how to deal with magic pills after a while. So we change course and maybe take other magic substances. Then there's always chemotherapy, which my Onco wants to postpone until all the other treatments are exhausted. Will know more after the PET, I'll be sure to publish the awesome images here.

And feeling particularly good these days and being an eternal optimist, who's to say that research won't come up with something even newer in another year?! And I don't have to bloodlet weekly from now on! How joyful is that! First time in a year that I do NOT have a lab appointment weekly. I am freeeeeeeee...

Here's to science and a long(er) life, gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto...