Just one week after the first session of chemotherapy, the mass in Corinne's neck had nearly disappeared. From the beginning, I had been telling people that we were cautiously optimistic, but this was exciting. The shrinkage indicated to us that the chemotherapy actually was killing the cancer.

We had read that Corinne's chances of survival with this lymphoma were 60/40, or 50/50. When Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer, we were warned to ignore the statistics because you could never know on which side your particular case would fall. Linda's death had clearly taught me that statistics – while they may be valid for large groups – mean nothing to the individual.

Even so, seeing the tumor disappear made me feel hopeful.