Today turned out to be an unexpected blessing. It felt like a significant victory for my family, as we finally saw progress where there had been none before. After committing to a fully organic vegan diet for 60 days, my HCG tumor marker had been steadily rising, despite our best efforts to combat it. It climbed from below 2.5 to 13, and a subsequent test at BAMC showed it had increased to 19. As I was gearing up for my first chemotherapy session, listening to Linkin Park and Metallica to get motivated, I felt compelled to check my patient portal for the latest lab results, expecting the marker to be around 30. To my astonishment, it had dropped to 5.4! I was in disbelief and quickly shared a screenshot with my wife, who was equally shocked. The only recent change before my admission to the 5T ward was a high-dose Vitamin C injection, along with the prayers from my brothers in the Iron Council, The Joshua Commission, and my family and friends. This remarkable drop allowed me to postpone treatment until tomorrow, when my oncologist will provide his insights (still 3x BEP), but my body is fighting the cancer on its own without the chemo at the moment and that has been my goal from the start. I plan to return home, continue monitoring my labs, hit the gym, journal, laugh, and hold onto this positive development. While I know I’m not out of the woods, especially with an aggressive germ cell tumor, the fact that my marker has dropped significantly since the orchid removal. That is something to praise God about!