My "WOW" moment in Washington DC

I just got back from another whirlwind trip to Washington DC.  This visit was a follow up to NIH for an appointment with Dr. Howard Fine, Rebecca's neuro-oncologist. We found out that the "stuff" they took out of her brain last month was mostly necrotic tissue but there were in fact some live active tumor cells that  showed signs of aggression.  Given that these cells withstood radiation and 3 rounds of Temodar, Dr. Fine has determined that they are resistant little boogers and it is time for a change of strategy.  Rebecca will be enrolling in a Phase II clinical trial for the drug Sutent. This is not a chemo drug per se. It is an anti-angiogenesis drug, or a "smart" cancer drug. This drug blocks the tumor cells from forming new blood vessels and essentially cuts off the tumor's "food" supply. Sutent is FDA approved for kidney and gastro cancers and this trial will help determine it's efficacy in treating brain cancer, specifically high grade gliomas like Rebecca's.  Dr. Fine explained that the standard next step for someone in Rebecca's situation would be Avastin, another anti-angiogenesis drug, however if we start Avastin first we eliminate the possibility of ever trying Sutent. Kind of a no brainer really (no pun intended). Why would we purposefully rule out a form of treatment? I guess some folks are hesitant to try clinical trials but we look at it as a prime opportunity and not so much a risk.

So my "WOW" moment, you're wondering...The Washington National Cathedral.  Please understand I have travelled extensively in Europe and lived in Italy for 3 years. It's pretty hard to WOW me in this country. I've seen ALOT of cathedrals. I've been to the Vatican. It was hard to realize at first that I was actually in the U.S.  The Gothic style was breathtaking and the stained glass windows...WOW! The really incredible part of the Cathedral is that everywhere there are little details that the architects, builders and planners, purposefully put there.  There is even a carving of Darth Vader on the northwest tower! While I was there I learned that most Gothic cathedrals have a theme to the carvings on the west entrances that depict the Last Judgment.  The National Cathedral's theme in the carvings of the west entrance is of Creation of Humankind, and the Creation of Night and Day. It's quite simply one of the most positive places I have been to in a very long time. It's an Episcopal church but it welcomes people of all faiths, it opens its doors to all. How cool is that?

It's been a long time since something in this country WOW'd me.