NORMAL - Molly Arnold is living on borrowed time. She has breast cancer that has metastasized to her bones, meaning it's all over her body. Her prognosis is two years to live. | ARCHIVE: Read original story

So why is the 46-year-old woman smiling, remaining passionate about her roles as a wife, mother and director of admissions at Illinois State University, while overseeing renovation of her family's 30-year-old home?

Because she's not planning on going anywhere yet.

Arnold has had the two-years-to-live prognosis since August 2005. The news got better Dec. 12.

Results of her most recent computed tomography scan of her pelvic area and liver and her head-to-toe bone scan showed that the amount of cancer had diminished. Even doctors are surprised.

"That was our first Christmas present of the year," said her husband, Scott Arnold.

Pantagraph readers were introduced to Molly Arnold in June. Her oncologist, Dr. John Migas, said then that Arnold is alive because of the success of a new surgery, chemotherapy, a bone-hardening medicine and her positive attitude.

Arnold was diagnosed with cancer in her right breast at age 38, had a mastectomy and breast reconstruction, took chemotherapy and went on maintenance drugs.

Life went on for the Scotts and their children.

In August 2005, she had plastic surgery on her right breast "to get (my breasts) even." The surgeon detected a lump and Arnold had surgery to have it removed.

When she awoke, doctors told her the cancer had metastasized to her bones. They said there was no cure, her life expectancy was less than two years and she needed to focus on her treatments and quality of life.

Doctors removed her ovaries. Her cancer is estrogen and progestin positive and a source of estrogen is the ovaries. Arnold continues with weekly chemotherapy, gets blood work and urine tests, takes the bone-hardening intravenous medicine Zometa once a month, and gets scanned every 10 weeks to determine whether there is cancer growth. The last few scans have indicated that the cancer is diminishing.

Chemotherapy means she's lost her sense of smell and taste and lost her hair three times. It's grown back. She's fought back from infections. She has learned to compromise with housework and laundry and Scott and their children have had to take on some of those responsibilities.

"I'm feeling remarkably well. But my stamina is not what it used to be."

In July, she and Scott decided to renovate their house after living there for 14 years.

"Everything felt worn down," she said. "I was feeling worn down because of it."

The work - including siding the outside, new windows, and redoing the kitchen and downstairs bathroom - should be done in mid-January.

She and Scott looked around their home.

"This is very cleansing, very refreshing; it's like starting new," she said.

Arnold recognized the parallel.

"Sometimes, there is life after a cancer diagnosis."