Two Strong Women One has quiet strength. She can withstand setback after setback, steel herself and trudge forward without much complaint. The other is a lion. She will overpower you with the force of her will, and let everyone in her path know that she has conquered you. My wife and my daughter flirt with strength on very different paths–paths that have converged on an epic scale. At times, they butt heads.

Hooded Bandits She was supposed to clean her room, but she spent most of the day prancing around with a feather duster. I occupied my time playing with the camera. Occasionally, she would sit with me for a portrait or comment on one of the photos. She’s excited for summer to start, and she’s eager to go to camp. Though she doesn’t let on, I think she was rather pleased with her latest test results.

Just received fabulous news! A senior neuroradiologist at CHLA reviewed the film from the MRI scans Jordan had last week. He compared the new scans with a study from August 2008. The comparison demonstrates “significant reduction in the thickness and prominence” of the disease around her brain.

Standing four foot ten inches tall, she is in the 75th percentile for height in her age range–a tall, leggy beauty. She scored 60 out of 60 on an English and vocabulary test–a verbose, dizzyingly articulate, and an often downright sassy debater. And she is 108 days away from an end to chemotherapy–a testament to a will so powerful, cancer runs for the hills. Jordan finished the week putting numbers on the board like LeBron James.

Pink and purple refract from her body in kaleidoscopic patterns–a spring skirt, a bright top, a jaunty hat. She has erupted from her room, petals showing, ready to pollinate. Her latest seed ground: publishing. She informs me that she plans to edit a fashion magazine. – I have to talk about fashion, Dad. Because people need their fashion. I can’t help noticing that she has found her glasses. She wears them selectively.