Jeanette lined us up in the backyard before we set out on our daddy/daughter excursion to the Music Center for a day of culture. Blue light reflected from the stage and bounced onto her snowy skin. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as the pas de deux began. Clara and the Nutcracker locked their arms and glided gracefully across the stage. Jordan sighed and leaned her head against my shoulder.

She’s a little nervous. She has a full week ahead. On Monday, she returns for chemotherapy. Then, Tuesday she goes in for a new MRI scan. Wednesday, it’s a full evaluation from her neurooncologist. All in all, she’ll be spending a lot of time at Children’s Hospital. I have previously written about her growing maturity and sense of wellness. January will mark the sixth year of her journey. In six years, any child will change a lot.

For the first time since Jordan began her journey more than five years ago, we have cause to celebrate. Her MRI scans today revealed noticeable reduction in the size of the tumors. Her doctor was elated. So were we. She will be sticking with this drug protocol for the near future, hoping for further improvements in her condition. As if that were not enough to celebrate, the way Jordan handled herself today was phenomenal.

It was our first day on the slopes. We scheduled a private lesson for Jeanette and Jordan. It was hard to contain Jordan’s excitement. She chattered constantly and told every stranger that this was her first day snowboarding. The outfitting took longer than expected and Jordan was not pleased with the uniform selection of grey boots. She wanted pink or magenta. But she settled for grey. We weren’t able to make her leg splints fit into the boots, so she went out without them, which was just fine by her.

Jordan, as photographed through the MRI It has stalked her for five years, this amorphous sickness called cancer. She’s heard us whisper about it, exchange knowing glances, even openly discuss the process by which it challenges her as she goes about being a kid. But yesterday, for the first time, Jordan saw the disease with her own eyes. Staring into the luminescent glow of the computer screen, she smiled a little.