Final Round of Chemo

On 3/28/19, after five months of chemotherapy, I received my final treatment.

The day began a little hectic.  Monday the 25th my oldest had a fever and came down with a stomach bug. Luckily he was at a friends house, and the mom who is a good friend of mine, kept him while he was ill.  Thursday, my middle child woke up with the fever and the same stomach bug.  He was too sick to leave the house, so my mother-in-law Shelly came over to sit with him until Tyler could get home to bring him to my last chemo festivities, which we did not want him to miss out on.

My best friend Desiree picked me up around 9:00 AM.  Dez brought along her camera and not only took a ton of photos for memory purposes, but also for a course she was taking.  I was happy to help her with school!

Treatment began as it always does; I had my labs drawn and met with my oncologist.  Dr. Pierce and I were both excited to be completing this part of treatment.  We took a selfie and exchanges hugs.  I headed back to the infusion area where I presented Lara with a gift, put a gift on Diane's desk (NP), and presented the rest of the girls with a gift I'd made for all of them: a pair of boobs made of suckers with a sign that says "CHEMO SUCKS".  It was a big hit.

Dez and I sat in the infusion room waiting for my lab results, as usual, and just chit-chatted until it was verified that I could begin infusion.  There was a woman and her husband in the room with us.  Her husband had a few good one-liners, but they were both pretty sleepy and we did not talk too much.  Lara came in to begin infusion, and the entire time we joked, laughed, and reminisced on the last five months.  The finality weighed on me, but I was able to keep my composure... until it was time to ring the bell.


The chemo bell; it's a joyful sound that rings through the infusion area when someone has completed their chemotherapy treatment.  The patient gets to ring the bell to their hearts delight.  I didn't go too crazy, but I rang that bell hard.  After I rang the bell, got pictures with all of the nurses, and Lara took out my port access, that's when I cried; tears because I was afraid, tears of exhaustion, and tears of relief.  It was a very emotional moment for me.  Depending on the day, those five months felt like either forever, or a blink. There is no in-between.


My step-MIL Beth has a friend associated with a non-profit organization called "Pink Heals". (https://www.pinkhealslakecountry.org/) They do nice things for cancer patients to help them through, and Amanda (Beth's friend) basically organized the entire thing for me, I just had to give her details of my appointment.  "The entire thing" was a ride home in a big, pink fire truck named Tonya.  (Hence why we didn't want Shamus to miss out on the fun.)  Nurses Lara and Lisa came out with Dez and me to see the fire truck, and when we got outside there were other volunteers waiting with pamphlets, flowers, and hugs for me.  Amanda was able to make it too, and gave me a ton of gifts; a Pink Heals hoodie, a notepad, an inspirational book, and more!  Just having the fire truck there, and all of those people in support of my end of treatment, was amazing.  

Tyler brought the kids, and the boys absolutely loved the fire truck.  Myself and both boys were able to sign our names on it.  So many people from the hospital came out to check out Tonya, as well.  She was a popular attraction.

The ride home was bumpy but fun. Tyler lead the way in his car with Evelyn, while Desmond, Shamus, and I rode in the cab of the fire truck.  When we pulled onto our street, the driver blared the fire truck siren for a good 20 seconds.  I was mortified, but the boys were thrilled.  It was 1:00 PM so luckily most people were not home, but the few that were stuck their heads out to see what was going on.

When I got home, Dez sent me a ton of photos from the day, and I posted on social media with details of all of the fun we were able to have.

It felt like closure to ride home in Tonya.  I am happy to be finished with chemotherapy, but the next steps come with their own struggles.  My double mastectomy is scheduled for 4/30 followed by a full hysterectomy on 5/20.  I am hopeful everything goes smoothly, but I am nervous.  This will be my first major surgery. I've had minor ones in the past, but nothing like this.

This chapter is closed, but the book is far from complete.  There is a lot of battle left to go, but I am going to fight this cancer... or I'll die trying.