Bon Voyage Chemotherapy!

This week marks a very triumphant week in my fight against cancer -- I had my final round of chemotherapy!! I have finally completed four rounds of Adriamycin & Cytoxin and four rounds of Taxol.  I have come a long way since that cold day in February when I began treatment and was crying to my doctor because I was so scared of beginning treatment.  I had envisioned what I've seen in the movies (even though I saw my mom go through it 12 years ago).  And despite talking to many people about what to expect it was still not familiar to me at the time.  Thankfully I had a very compassionate doctor that gave me a big hug which made me feel so much better.  Since then, I've had my good days and bad days but it wasn't as bad as I had expected it to be.

Fast forward to this past Thursday -- I was so excited to have chemotherapy behind me.  And, in a very celebratory fashion, Katie Cavarretta brought me a tiara to wear during my last treatment...I was the belle of the ball in the treatment room this week.

I had unfortunately forgotten all of my cute pink letters that I would use to make a sign to hang from the chemo drip so I had to improvise with the supplies available at the nurse's station.  I think it all worked out in the end.  Thank you, Katie, for helping me to develop my creative vision.  :)

My dad later joined Katie and I in the treatment room and brought cupcakes from my favorite place (Sweet Mandy B's).  They have been delicious!

For the past two weeks I had been joking around that I would be graduating from one of the most difficult steps in in kicking cancer's ass.  To celebrate my chemotherapy commencement, Katie had (what I thought) arranged for us to go on Ian's, her future brother-in-law's, boat in the evening.  So, I wore my boat shoes and a cute pink floppy hat and toted my preppiest tote bag -- I was ready for a boat ride.  Katie told me that we were going to meet her sister at a bar for a drink while Ian was docking the boat and testing the water.  Being the gullible girl I am, I just followed along... However, there was a secret mission that my friends had been up to -- they were throwing me a surprise graduation party! I. Was. Stunned.  I LOVE surprise parties and haven't had any surprises thrown for me since I was 16 when my mom and Meme had arranged for me to have my Glamour Shots taken with my BFF at the time (I'll have to get my hands on those photos).

Here's a pic of my friends and I.  I took a few more pictures and you can check them out by looking at my album here.  Thank you to everyone who could make it out on Thursday night!

I will probably never understand why I would have to battle this disease but I have learned a lot about myself since the fateful day that I was told I had cancer.  I do believe everything happens for a reason and as I have begun to unravel what I am supposed to take away from this experience, I have learned that I am truly blessed.  My friends and family consist of people that ran to my side when I needed them most, took care of me while I was recovering from surgery, accompanied me to my endless doctor appointments, helped me pick out a wig and was by my side when I shaved my head, made me dinner, sent me flowers, cards, emails and prayers for my strength and recovery.  The nurses at my oncologist office often commented on how lucky I am to have so many people accompany me to chemotherapy but little did they know that my network of support goes far beyond the people who were with me every other week.  It is very hard for me to express my gratitude in words.  All I can say is I have been smiling since Thursday as I've reflected on the past few months.


What's ahead for Miss Davis?
Well, my next step in kicking cancer's ass is radiation therapy, which will begin on May 26th.  I met with the radiation oncologist this week and I really liked him so am looking forward to getting this started and being done with cancer treatment. Radiation is very different from chemotherapy; I will do a little amount every single day (5 days a week) over the course of six and a half weeks.  I have been told that I will likely have some fatigue but the side effects of radiation aren't nearly as bad as chemotherapy.  It's nice to know that the worst is behind me.

Also, now that things have started to warm up around here (sort of), I have been out and about on my new bike.  I still have a while before the Apple Cider Century but will need to work hard this summer to  prepare for it.  I will be sure to keep you all posted on my adventures in bike riding.

Love to everyone!  Wishing you peace, love and happiness!