CATONSVILLE, Md. — Dr. Scott Baylin loves to smile big. Now, he's got one more big reason.
"I'll be able to be in the world seeing my patients, seeing my family, my friends, going on vacation and living my normal life," Baylin told WMAR-2 News.
This Friday, Baylin was supposed to go in for a stem cell transplant. His son, Brandon, was ready to give up his own cells to support his dad. But that's no longer necessary.
“I got the test results on a Thursday night, Friday I was here at work. I still didn’t want to believe it until I heard it from the doctor. The doctor called and obviously my wife and I were overjoyed," Baylin recalled.
"We were on a conference call, and my dad happened to be here in the office getting his teeth cleaned. So I walked in and said, dad, I don't need a stem cell transplant. The two of us broke down and just started crying. It was amazing," Baylin added.
According to the test results Baylin recently received, Baylin is in complete remission; the test came up 'zero MRD,' detecting no cancer cells in his body.
“Before, I was in remission based on radiographic, the PET scan, CT scan, but now, metabolically and through my blood, they can determine I don’t have any cancer. Now I have to keep I that way," he noted.
On Frederick Road, Baylin's practice has worked on Catonsville's smiles for about two decades. Not long ago, he had to give his patients a difficult message: he was fighting non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
READ MORE: Beloved Catonsville dentist shares journey fighting cancer
Much has changed over the last few months, but Baylin isn't letting his guard down just yet. He goes in for another blood test in three months.
"Obviously it's in the back of my brain right now, that I have upcoming, impending tests. I'm going to do everything I can to try to stay as healthy as possible. There are some 'non negotiables' as my wife calls it. I have to eat right, I have to keep my stress level low," Baylin said.
Right now, Dr. Baylin is back doing what he does best: smiling big, and working on our smiles.
"I'm very fortunate to have surrounded myself with really good, fine people that are, that I know love me and care about me. I'm happy to be back supporting the team the way I always should be," Baylin told WMAR-2 News.
