She’s not happy. She was all set to make her very first trip alone. We booked her first class on a flight to Portland to spend the holidays with her aunts and uncles. At 4:45am this morning, all systems were go. Alaska Airlines confirmed she was clear to board. We drove all the way to LAX to learn it was a no go. The flight was still scheduled, but due to weather, unaccompanied minors were not allowed.

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.

Last week, Jordan participated in her school’s holiday play. I wasn’t able to attend, but when I arrived home she was abubble with prideful energy. This is the first year since she became symptomatic that Jordan could do more than hum a tune and interject a few words here and there. She actually memorized whole passages of the songs, and when she reenacted the proceedings for me in our kitchen, she remembered stage direction, too.

Even a trivial game like a round of Guitar Hero brings out the fierce competitor in Jordan. She isn’t satisfied until she proves she’s the best. Her seductive personality, which often lapses into soulful discourse on the merits of biscuits and tea, belies a gritty underbelly on her character. Psychologically speaking, she might shiv you to win a challenge. She has a ruthless side that sparks when placed in competition. It is the essence of what propelled her up that rock face in Orlando, the substance of the never-ending war of words with her brother, and the very foundation of her survivorship.

She is draped in purple, preening herself in the company of her Auntie Lisa, who is blow drying her hair. They gossip and sample cosmetics. Jordan angles to the side and tilts her head with a healthy embelishment of feminine sass. She is having the time of her life. Her skin shines. Her cheeks blush. Her eyes charm on cue. This is why she survives. This is the life that is on her side as she kicks cancer’s sorry butt.