"M-A-X spells MAX!" says Max. A stem cell miracle? Who knows....

This is the week we're due to e-mail an update to Dr. Kurtzberg, the wonderful Duke University doctor who did Max's stem cell transplant in August. It's been four months, and while she said that if we were to see results they would happen at around the six-month mark, she wanted us to get in touch in December.

I haven't seen any major transformations in Max since the infusion other than his sudden passion for the color purple, not a known benefit. I feel like I've maybe seen some improvement in cognition and alertness, though it's impossible to say whether that's the stem cells doing their thing. It was always going to be a crap shoot: We'd never know whether Max's progress would be due to the stem cells, due to his own natural development, or a combination of both.

You know what?

I don't care.

I'll take whatever progress he makes, for whatever reason. I'm not concerned with the hows or the whys; all the proof I need is in his smile, in his eyes, and in the sound of his voice saying "M-A-X!"