The morning of December 24th, Christmas Eve, I made my way to the hospital to get a nose swab. The doctor wanted to make sure that my cold wasn't something serious. I wasn't too happy about going in on Christmas Eve to say the least. When I got home, I received a text from a college professor that I admire and have admired since my freshman year of college. He explained that he had read my blog and saw that we were given fake Wicked tickets. He happened to know one of the writers of Wicked and shared my story with her. She asked him if she could contact me and offer me house seats to the Wicked play in 2020. I was astounded. There were no words to describe how happy I was. When I talked to her, she was such a sweet woman! I must have thanked her a thousand times. She was not the only one to offer tickets to the show, many friends reached out and I want to thank them for their kindness and generosity.
Later that evening, my entire family and family friends went to my grandparents’ house. We had a great night and opened our CPs (Christmas PJs). We all went home and cuddled into our beds awaiting Santa's arrival.
It was Olive's first Christmas and I was so excited for her to get toys and treats! Spending time with the family on Christmas is one of my favorite things. Food, quality time and some wine, haha!
The week flew by and December 29th finally arrived! Cruise day! We were all packed up and headed to Baltimore. The ship was amazing. The first night there we ended up at the piano bar, where we met the fantastic entertainer Martin. I also discovered a shot that is to die for! It is called brain damage, haha...fitting. It was a late night and we had some nice family bonding.
Monday was a rough one. Yeah, everyone was a little hungover...but the boat was literally swinging side to side. The ocean was not having a good day. I got a little seasick and then pulled it together later in the day.
New Year’s Eve was Tuesday and it was beautiful out. We all relaxed by the pool and went down the water slides. For lunch some of us went to check out the sushi restaurant. It was AMAZING! Everyone on the cruise was getting dressed up for the night and a massive family came down dressed towards the theme of The Harlem Nights. They looked incredible. It was fun dressing up and taking pictures, but the fun was just getting started. After dinner, there was a huge party on the deck for NYE. Dance battles, party hats and long island iced teas!
The next day we arrived at Princess Cays, Carnivals private island. It was a beautiful day to relax in the calm clear water. When we got to Nassau, Atlantis was calling our name! We hung out at the beach, went jet skiing and banana boating. Jet skiing was my favorite. We got back on the boat around 4pm and my dad and I headed straight for beer pong sign ups. We made it pretty far but didn't take home the championship.
After dinner we met the cruise director, Dr. E. He was fantastic. He was engaging, enthusiastic and hilarious! He learned about my diagnosis and sent chocolate covered strawberries to my room. Maddie, my sister, happened to walk in and see them first. She was in awe of the room attendant that she thought they were from him. "Aw, Robby!" she said, "look what he brought us" and eats a strawberry. I hadn't even seen them yet! Anyway, sorry to burst your bubble mads but they were not from Robby and they were for me.
Our last day in the Bahamas was spent sunning by the pool during a throwback party. Later that night, I noticed my feet, ankles and hands were very swollen. We were not sure why. I started drinking lots of water and elevating my legs. After about 2 days the swelling slowly went down.
We had one more day at sea and then back home. I had such a great time with the people that I love! Unfortunately, I was a little homesick for Olive! I missed my little troublemaker. I was so happy to see her when I got home!
I had one more week until I headed back to school. I was very nervous. Seeing how fast I would get tired made me think about what it would be like at school. I was going to have to leave my family and get used to living on my own again. "What if I get sick and my parents won't be there" I would think. Don't get me wrong, I was extremely excited to get back with my friends but there were some doubts. My final week at home consisted of last-minute doctors appointments, shopping and packing. I said my goodbyes and we headed to WVU on Saturday, January 11th.
Thank you all for continuously supporting me and following my story! #IGotTheCancer
What's Next: Getting back into the college life