Ring that Gong

It is finally here and I can’t believe it – my last few weeks of recovery from four and a half months of chemotherapy. After an extra week of recovery I was able to get my final chemo treatment last Wednesday. The thought of the recovery period did not even enter my mind as I knew this would be the last time. I just wanted this day to be done and now it is, dead and gone 😊

The nurses gave me a choice to ring the final treatment gong that day to celebrate my final chemotherapy or ring it next year when I complete all of my IV treatment – I never was good at waiting so I rang that gong! 

Ringing that Gong!

I couldn’t think of a better reason to celebrate, the remaining treatments will be easy compared to what I just put my body through. I was also celebrating not having to come to a doctor’s office or hospital for an entire 3 weeks, the first break longer than 1 week since last November! That was it, my last time hooked up to the poison for an entire day, now we move on to easier days ahead. 

I walked out of the clinic beaming from ear to ear, ready to celebrate (and still happy from the Benadryl and steroids). I kept the celebratory spirit going by seeing Justin Timberlake that night, fighting to stay awake as long as I could to enjoy the moment signaling the end of the darkest days. I was also ready to celebrate the warm weather that is upon us and my ability to frolic in my new backyard. The thought of ending my celebration on Wednesday was depressing so I quickly decided to through a pop-up celebration on Sunday, after my down days from the treatment. This was only possible since my parents were in town and could do all of the hard work to prepare my house for visitors as I slept and rested for a few days. By Sunday morning I was feeling as best as could be expected and the chance to see friends and family and finally open up my new house was amazing. A day in the sun with good company was just what the doctor ordered…he actually ordered a day out on the lake but I think I found a suitable replacement. Now I get to take the next few weeks to allow my body to breakdown to its lowest yet so I can focus on moving forward and building it back up. Just a few more weeks and this girl should have a normal blood count!
Did I mention my parents are rockstars? How two people can consistently see the good through the hardest days and not only keep a smile on their faces but put smiles on the others around them never ceases to amaze me. My parents and brother came to Nashville from Detroit to spend the last 2 weeks with me, ready to take care of anything I needed and to help me finally settle into my home so that when the time comes and my treatment is complete I have nothing to worry about.  I am so lucky these two have never shied away from a day of hard work.  They helped me to transform my house exactly how I wanted it in a matter of days in addition to completing work I didn’t even know I needed.  My affection for them is hardly shown as I am not great at expressing my love (a topic for another day) but I hope they know how much they mean to me.

We forgot to take pictures for 2 weeks so we caught a selfie on their way out today

Most days I can’t believe all of this has happened in the last 7 months. I am glad I have the scars and the visible change to remind me to focus on the positive and rise above each day. I know I have 8 months left of treatment and a lifetime of awareness after that, but now nothing seems impossible. The only thing that I want to focus on is how I live the best version of myself, the best version of my life. I have so many thoughts and torn emotions about the past months, but I continue to choose joy above all else and to this point it hasn’t failed me yet.
Writing has brought me peace and joy through the journey. The push to get started was needed and now I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Choose joy today and celebrate the smallest victories! Go out and ring your gong!