Diagnosis

Dear family and friends,

We just got back from seeing Ian's Dr. and the news is not good. Ian has Hodgkin's Lymphoma. They don't have the final pathology of what strain or what grade, but it is definitely Hodgkin's. We are assured it is treatable and the survival rate is very good. Apparently Stanford is the place to go for pediatric Hodgkin's and we've been given a Dr.'s name and # there.

Ian is in a bit of a shock, I think, though he is handling things pretty well on the surface. It's a bit of a challenge to be 14 and be told you have cancer when you feel basically healthy. We have a good relationship with him, but I know it's still a little hard to talk to Mom and Dad about how you're feeling. He probably doesn't really know how he's feeling himself.

I know in my head we will get through this, though my gut feels turned inside out - and our lives will certainly be turned upside down for a while. Thank you for thoughts and prayers. We appreciate them so much.

Love, Natalie