Doctors say not to pay attention to the numbers...but ours are prettygood.

Leukemia is the most common kind of cancer in kids. By common, I mean 1 in 400,000 kids. So Aria may be unique in Oak Park. (Clearly, we try too hard for "unique.").

In my last post, I mentioned there are 8 prognostic factors that determine how hard they will have to work to cure Aria. Here they are.

1. If she's between 1 and 9 years old, cure rate is higher.

She turn 4 on May 13. Score.

2. If her white cell count is less 50,000, cure rate is higher. 

Only 5,000 of them. Sweet.

3. If the the bad ones are B cells, it's better than T cells. 

B all the way, baby.

4. If not evil cells were found in her spinal fluid, the cure rate is higher. 

Zee-ro.

5. It's more unusual for a female child to get leukemia, but the cure rate for girls is higher. 

Two Xs, thank you.

Now, the factors for which we await results in four weeks (aka: a lifetime):

6. Response to initial treatment

She started chemotherapy yesterday...hardcore drugs in every possible form, via every possible delivery mechanism. Kids who go into remission within four weeks -- and 95% of them do -- have a higher cure rate.

7. What kind of B-cell is it? 
Like every other dichotomous path in this maze, there's a good and a bad kind of B cell. We will know hers in a few weeks. Good kind = higher cure rate.

8. Cytogenetics
The lab will also be figuring out if the evil cells are rearranging themselves, trading DNA, adding chromosomes, or conducting other illegal cell activities. Adding chromosomes is apparently a lesser offense than others.

If factors 6, 7, and 8 are as favorable for her as 1 through 5 are, then she has the best chances of this all just being a hazy, early-childhood memory.