6 months on - all stable

Need I say more?!

It's been 6 months since we stopped treatment and last week's MRI shows that everything is all stable, no regrowth, we are off the hook and continue our lives for another three months until the next MRI.

In fact we were so relaxed this time, possibly a first, that I forgot to contact the doctors for a preliminary reading on the results.


Meanwhile spring activities in full swing here. End of year tests and exams have started, some finished. Isabella had her end of year choir concert yesterday and Mati will finish swimming for the season this week.

Then there's birthdays and Mati's graduation from primary school. And then we are gearing up for summer travels in Europe.

More news when we have it, in the meantime a few photos from recent weeks.

Lots of love,
Emma & co. xxx

Glorious day

Most of Team Impavido at the end of the Race for Hope 2015

Today was the 7th year that Team Impavido has participated in the Race for Hope here in DC. We had the largest team ever - all going at various speeds. Some setting their personal running record, others took a more leisurely stroll! But all completed the course. Our team ranged in age from babies in strollers to grannies striding, even running along! Bravi tutti!

It was glorious weather, perhaps a little hot for running but it is always so wonderful to come together for this amazing event to celebrate those who have survived brain cancer and remember those who have sadly lost their lives to this terrible disease.

Dare I say, Isabella was beaming, she is blossoming into a fine young lady. She strode proudly with all the yellow t-shirts in the survivor's tribute and then completed the 5 K in her personal best.

Afterwards we had 60+ in the garden for a celebratory lunch. The garden in full bloom, the pimms flowing,  balls and frisbees flying everywhere - the perfect garden party. We are lucky to be surrounded by so many great friends. Team Impavido have raised $3,580 so far this year for Race for Hope - all proceeds will go towards Brain tumor research. THANK YOU to all who have contributed.

Next MRI next week. Hoping for another all stable and then we are off the hook for another three months. We'll keep you posted.

Lots of love,
Emma  & Gregorio. xxx

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Spring is in the air...

...and there are lots of changes in the Impavido household.

This week Isabella moved into her own bedroom. She and her sister haven't slept apart since Mati was about 3 months old! There was a dramatic goodnight on the first night...and then they realized they could text each other from their own beds. Modern technology!

Isabella has braces - it seems to be a rite of passage for all teenagers, in this country at least. But as you can imagine, it is not so simple with Isabella. The pieces attached to her teeth are made of porcelain  (rather than the standard metal) and she will have to have the wires removed before every MRI (every three months) and then put back on. The metal would distort the brain scan readings. We needed a few more medical appointments!

On the musical front the girls have suddenly started practicing the piano with enthusiasm, I guess the exams will be here in no time - Grade V for Isabella and III for Mati. Not sure if Gregorio has remembered his promise if they make it to Grade V....this week-end Isabella is singing with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. They are singing pieces from Les Mis and Miss Saigon. At last night's rehearsal they met Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, composers of these musicals, which was pretty special.

The girls are definitely growing up and becoming more independent. Gregorio and I seem to be moving from supervisors to mentors. A changing role for sure. Meanwhile I have been promoted and am going back to full time work. A mixture of excitement and apprehension juggling work and home life.

Gregorio completed a half marathon a couple of weeks ago in the pissing rain in a record speed. Sadly this week he is hobbling and frustrated that he cannot run thanks to an injury this past week-end. Not half as frustrated as we are that he can't get out and release some energy! Hopefully he will be back on form soon for his upcoming races here in DC and in Istanbul.

Even I have donned my running shoes in this warmer weather. Well my annual 5 k is coming up and I need to see if I can still complete the course :) The Race For Hope will take place on May 3rd in DC. Please let us know if you'd like to join the team or support this valuable cause, raising much needed funds and awareness for brain cancer.

Next MRI will be in early May. Till then we look forward to warmer weather and the cherry blossom here in DC.

Lots of love,
Emma.x

All Stable!

Isabella had an MRI last week-end - three months since she stopped treatment and we got the results this week - all stable. Extremely good news. So we move forward for another three months.

I felt much relieved and ready to book our summer holiday. So this evening we have booked our flights to Europe. Most unlike me, we have selected dates, almost at random, without having fully fleshed out our plans and we will fill in the pieces in the coming months. We had to do it...just before we jet off on our next trip - got to have another one to look forward to before you leave on the present one that's Gregorio's philosophy!

Off to Utah to ski, though the snow is probably better in New England this year. Should be a fun week though, we are looking forward to it. Girls have already had a week's skiing with the school in Snowshoe, West Virginia and we've had our weekly outings to the local slopes at Whitetail. Gregorio managed a long week-end to Park City back in January with some friends....the only one who hasn't been away already to ski this year, is me - but I have been enjoying ladies day out on the local slopes on Fridays - a real treat, nobody on the slopes and time to catch up with girlfriends!

February 26th is Bella Notte - the National Brain Tumor Foundation gala fundraiser at the Italian Embassy. Isabella will be joint MC for the evening. It's a poignant event but also a celebration of the courage and strength of the pediatric brain cancer patients and survivors. If you are in DC and would like to still join us at the event and help raise funds for a valuable cause - let us know. A few months further on we will be drumming up support for the Race for Hope.

In the meantime - Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Pancake day next week.

Lots of love,
Emma and family xxx

The Year in Review

How often have you said "it seems just yesterday we were doing this?" Well the thought occurred to me as we put up our Christmas tree a couple of weeks ago. However, it was Isabella, aged 12, that said it out loud. Either she too is growing up and beginning to merge one event with another (happens to the best of us) but Isabella has an amazing photographic recall and I think rather that she too has felt this has been a roller coaster year, that has whizzed by. So here we are, cruising into Christmas and 2015 and I thought I'd take a few moments to remember the year the Impavidos have had.

Isabella proved in February that public speaking is a piece of cake. She gave a great speech at the National Brain Tumor Gala Foundation with poise and grace. In 2015 she will jointly MC the evening, if you are in DC  on February 26th and would like to join us that evening to benefit Pediatric Brain Tumor research, please let us know. Isabella continues to love music, gaining her Grade IV in Piano this summer and singing with the Children's Chorus of Washington. Sunday's Chantons Noel concert was lovely. In October Isabella gained her Black Belt at Tae Kwon Do and joined the ranks of the average teenager - she got a phone and seems to be constantly texting and posting on various sites. Pretty normal child! And as you know she has been off treatment since early October. We are eager for January's MRI and hope that things continue to remain stable. We will keep you posted when there is news.

Swimming seems to dominate Matilde's time - if she's not swimming for the school team, its the Sea Devils - we seem to spend quite a few week-ends at swim meets and making sure we have a dry swimming costume. She was chosen to be head girl in September and seems to be rising to the role and her responsibility with pride. She continues to love baking, there seems to be constantly a batch of cookies on the go, in fact the aroma of chocolate chip cookies is wafting in the air right now. She gained her Grade II in piano in the summer. And with the school choir she sang (and gave a reading) at the British Embassy's carol service last week-end. The intimate church, the 'right' tune for Away in A Manager followed by mince pies and mulled wine at the end of the service transported me right back to England. Terribly nostalgic.

Gregorio has taken to running big time and completed his first half marathon on June and finished the Thanksgiving Turkey Chase 10k in pretty cold conditions in record time. He's been learning Turkish and still speaks pretty good Spanish after a tequila or two. Thankfully his work travel commitments continue to be very manageable. Gregorio and I had a romantic week in Turkey, sans enfants at the end of September, complete with a magical hot air balloon ride at sunrise in Cappadocia.

As a family we have traveled a fair amount this year. We had a great week in Jackson Hole, even if Delta conspired again to cause travel havoc on the outward journey. The girls flew solo to London on Independence Day and we enjoyed a very English wedding in the Bath countryside in  July. This was followed by three weeks relaxing in the Alps, where we saw lots of ibex, chamois and marmots and ate plenty of prosciutto, fungi porcini and gelato. The female side of the family returned to England in August and enjoyed gardening in Kent, 99s in Cornwall and saw the Poppies at The Tower of London. The highlight of the year was the amazing wedding in Mexico in November (all the photos here were taken in Mexico). We've had some memorable trips. Meanwhile I have traveled a fair bit with work - the spread of my trips indicative of the variety of themes I am working on - the D-Day beaches in the spring, pre-historic tombs and sites in England and Ireland in the summer and the Venice film festival in September.

What lies ahead? Where will 2015 take us? Maybe somewhere near you? And if not, you are always welcome to visit us here in DC! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.  May 2015 bring you many fun and happy new adventures.

With love,
Emma, Gregorio, Isabella & Matilde. xxx

At 6 am tomorrow....

Isabella will take the last dose of the trial medication. 730 days later, 4,680 pills (that's just of the ADZ6244 mek inhibitor) Isabella completes the trial and we will go on a break. We will breathe a HUGE sigh of relief. We haven't told her, but, unlike every other morning, we plan to all wake up and celebrate.

The normal routine is either Gregorio or I shaking the pills in her ear in the dark, she awakes, sits up, throws four pills down her throat, slurps the water and goes back to sleep and we all return to bed. To be fair in the past couple of weeks, she has set her alarm and done it all herself.

Isabella has been a real trouper. We are extremely proud of her. Yes it has had a dramatic effect on her tumor, shrinking it by 50%, yes the side effects have been minimal. Yes the visits to the hospital have only been monthly but on average, we visit more doctors in a month than most of you see in a year (or more!) The doctors are amazing, always having time for us and in this digital age are reachable at the click of a button.

Remembering to take the pills and skipping very few doses is an amazing achievement - added to that taking them mainly on an empty stomach morning and night in between a busy schedule. Isabella has had some side effects - some perhaps positive - amazing blonde hair, some just darn right painful and bloody annoying. Isabella (like a number of others on the trial) has had MANY ingrown toe nails that have had to be removed. It has been a monthly occurrence, over time she has got used to having them removed without any anesthesia, my stomach churns just looking at her wincing. This has also necessitated endless antibiotics (at a mega strength) to counter any possible infections.

Despite all this, Isabella remains a happy and positive child who gets on with life and is a pretty normal budding teenager - three broken bones in the past year (finger, toe and a hand), starting to wear make-up, into my clothes, addicted to her iPod touch to text with friends and watch shows. She is into Grey's Anatomy at the moment. She seems focused on the medical world as a future career. And neurology in particular. She is certainly determined as last Saturday showed when she achieved her black belt in Tae Kwon Do - so we hope she will strive to achieve her dreams in the years ahead.

What does the future hold? Well an MRI next week to set a new baseline and then there will be three monthly MRI's to monitor the situation. Beyond that we will wait and see. If the tumor grows, we will see what the options are. Right now we are pleased to be at the end of this chapter and look forward to a treatment break.

We are looking forward to a wedding in Mexico in November, where the girls will be bridesmaids and then rolling into the traditional autumn and winter festivities.

Breathe a sigh of relief with us as we wave goodbye to this chapter of treatment. And we pray that without the constant medical appointments and worry about every medical condition  - we will all have a renewed energy and enthusiasm for life. Long may it last.

Lots of love,
Emma & Gregorio xxx

PS and not to forget our wonderful daughter number two. Mati was made Head Girl, she is blossoming at school and loves swimming and looking forward to her first swim meet in a couple of weeks.

What a summer!

Where have we been for the past couple of months?

Independent girls in London

I left for London via a week driving around Ireland for work - it had been a while since I'd driven on small country roads on the 'wrong' side - and I only went on the wrong side once. Next to leave DC, were the girls  - they flew solo to London and arrived on Independence Day - P & J had decked out the house in suitable decor. We had fun catching up with family and friends while in London - including best friends who left DC last year.


Gregorio arrived for the perfect English country wedding of my cousin. It was a glorious week-end complete with elegant clothes and hats, pimms, family from far and wide, kids frolicking on the lawn, tearful moments and much happiness in the lovely Bath countryside. The walks along the river avon looking at the narrow boats and swans floating by and the roast beef and yorkshire puds at the pub on the Sunday completed the memorable week-end.

Next stop Rome for less than 24 hours. Gregorio (remember the new slim version now that he is obsessed by running....it's a mid-life crisis thing) did serious damage to his credit card picking up a new wardrobe. And we had a wonderful evening catching up with dear friends, some we had not seen since our wedding.

From Rome we drove north to the Alps via Pisa. I had been longing to go up the Leaning Tower since 1980 when we had been turned away because my mother and I were in sundresses. We stopped for a couple of hours, in the heat of the day and climbed up the tower. It was impressive but Mati and I were uneasy with the lean and being at the top and looking down. We tired to get the statutory photo of us trying to hold the tower up. We made it to Susa in time for dinner - Gregorio did brilliantly navigating  through the endless tunnels around Genoa.

Once in Susa we switched off and enjoyed nearly three weeks of hiking and picnics in Italy and France - going where the weather seemed better or whose food we fancied - was it baguette and pate sort of day or a panino with salame e formaggio. Highlights included seeing many ibex at close quarters, fantastic scenery, eating a copious amount of prosciutto and gelato and a night at the refuge at 2,700 m - which nonna also enjoyed with us.

Eating well earned dinner at the refuge with nonna and Emma

On someone's birthday we divided in Milan. Matilde and I went direct to London. Gregorio and Isabella had a delay and a detour to Washington DC. Isabella definitely wins the prize for the best traveler  - they arrived in DC at 1 am (nearly 24 hours after setting off) on Tuesday 5th August, at 9 am they were in the hospital for the monthly check-up and medication. At 10 pm, Isabella was on a flight back to London. She was full of beans as she walked into the arrivals hall at LHR the next morning and kept going all day.

with Peter and poppies at the Tower of London

Selfie at Stonehenge

The girls and I then had three lovely weeks in England staying with dear friends and generally enjoying the English countryside in Kent and Cornwall at 'dream house 1' and dream house 2'. While I worked, the girls picked fruit, made jam, helped in the garden, cleaned the pond, fed the chickens etc. We fitted in some cultural visits with jousting at Hever Castle, Chartwell (Matilde had done a project on Churchill and was fascinated), Stonehenge, poppies at the tower and much more. We had cream teas, sausage rolls, lots of 99s, scampi and chips, cornish pasties, gooseberry fool, summer pudding and more - all classic nostalgic English fare for me.

wearing wellies in England!

gelato a Roma

Meanwhile Gregorio was back in DC managing the fort and yet another round of work in the house. Needless to say, that despite promises the work is not complete and when we got back last Saturday we were greeted with dust and chaos. It always seems such a good idea to have work done while we are away....anyway we are looking forward to getting the house back to normal in the next week or so.

Year 6 - top of primary and Year 8

We spent Monday and Tuesday back in DC at rather a lot of medical appointments - all stable. We are due to end the treatment at the end of October and then three monthly follow ups. The good news is that if there is regrowth we can retreat with the same drug.

Today the girls started back at school. Much excitement. Here is our usual first-day-of-school-smiles-outside-the-front-door photo. And a new year begins. I am sure there will be many tales and adventures to tell. We will update you soon. Highlights to look forward to for some - I am off to the Venice Film Festival on Friday - hey, it's work and someone's got to do it! Gregorio heads to Turkey just after I get back. Italian grandparents are kindly arriving later in the month so that I can then fly out to Turkey and join Gregorio for a few days. Finally I will get to see why he loves Istanbul so much. In November we are heading to Mexico where the girls will be bridesmaids. It's all go.



Lots of love,
Emma et famille xx