My next chemo was the week of thanksgiving, November 26th. Three of my great friends Kennedy, Sammie and Megan came to keep me company. It was really thoughtful of them to come hang out with me. The following day was the biggest bar night of the year. Everyone would be home and going to penny drinks. All I wanted was to feel good enough to go out with my friends who I haven't seen in a long time. I ended up feeling good for the night out and had a great time catching up with everyone. Thanksgiving was here! Turkey, mashed potatoes, corn etc. I couldn't miss out on that if I wanted to! I made sure to take my nausea medicine so that I didn't get sick from eating. Family came from out of town for thanksgiving, it was really nice to be able to spend a little time with them.
The GLY Foundation had their annual cocktail party on December 6th. It was my first year attending. Everyone was wonderful and I was grateful to meet so many of the people that have been supporting and following my blog. It was a night filled of singing, dancing and laughing.
My last chemo was coming up on Tuesday December 10th and the weekend was dragging on. I couldn't wait any longer to finally be finished with treatment! It has been a long 7 months and it is time to move on.
The morning of my last chemo, my dad and I made our way to the hospital. I had to get bloodwork drawn and get started on my chemo. My mom and sister were meeting us there a little after I started. My mom is very creative and surprised me with an artsy "last chemo sign." My sister brought me a card and my favorite...Raisinets. I was hoping chemo would be done before my dad had to leave for work, but they were starting pretty late, so I wasn't sure. I was finishing up my last bag of poison. The nurses were so happy for me. There was no way I was going to miss treatment, but I would miss all of the amazing nurses.
My grandma came up to the hospital just as I was finishing my last treatment. She brought me a goodie bag of stuff too! "Are we ringing the bell?" the one nurse asked. I looked up and said "well yeah, second times the charm!" As I walked down the hall to ring the bell, the nurses were already waiting for me. Everyone surrounded me as I read the note under the bell. Here we go, last time ringing this bell...good riddance! I grabbed onto the bell and struck it 3 times. Everyone clapped and smiled in celebration. Dad was able to be there for the bell with my mom, sister and grandma. It was definitely a special moment for all of us.
Finally, you are caught up with my journey with cancer. December 13th, I had my follow up appointment with my oncologist. I am in full remission and will be able to go back to school in January! I am also allowed to cut back on all of my medication, except one antibiotic. At this point in the process, we schedule a port flush every 4-6 weeks. This is to make sure my port is being cleaned out while it isn't being used. We also scheduled my next PET scan, which will be in 2 months, February 7th. My oncologist surprised me when she said that I would be able to get the port removed after the PET scan.
The day before, I struggled through a headache and then mouth sores and nausea. It is okay though because it is my last time having to endure these chemo symptoms. After the symptoms subside, I hope to start getting back to normal. But what is normal anymore? I think it is going to take some time to get back there. One step at a time is still my motto.
To start off my normalcy, I celebrate my 22nd birthday with one of my best friends, Kennedy, who happens to have the same birthday. My good friends from college, Ali and Deryn, came to celebrate too. Getting together with friends from all over was a great way to start my remission celebration. After the party, we all went downtown and my mom and her friends met up with us. Our dads ended up surprising us at the bar too.
Saturday, December 21st I started to develop a cough. This is the weekend my counts are low. I stayed in all day to make sure I get better. My actual birthday was December 22nd. Hopefully 22 brings more memories and good health. We were given Broadway tickets for Wicked and the show was on my birthday. I have wanted to see Wicked since I was in 2nd grade. I couldn't wait to see the show and to spend the day in NYC with my family. It was going to be great to be back in the city.
The cough got worse so I started taking some of my medicine again. Hopefully it goes away soon because I can't be sick for the cruise. We arrived in NYC early so we went to a pub for a drink while we waited. The show was at 2pm, so we walked over around 1:30. We were waiting in line and finally got to the man scanning tickets. "It's coming up invalid" he explained. We had to go to the ticket booth, where they told my dad the name on the ticket had been popping up all weekend. The guy must be selling a bunch of fake tickets. Unfortunately, we were one of the unlucky families who received fake tickets and were unable to see the show. We were all upset, but there was nothing we could do. A delicious family style Italian restaurant called Carmines is where we were going to go for dinner. We ended up going early since we couldn't go into the show. It was packed, so again we waited at the bar upstairs. Once we sat down, we ordered cheesy garlic bread and caesar salad. For our meal, we got meatballs and spaghetti with chicken parmesan. The food was incredible and absolutely did not disappoint. After dinner we went into a store and then headed back to the car. Even though the day didn't turn out as expected...we made the best of it and had fun.
Christmas is in a few days and the chest cold feels like it is at its worst. I am going to see my doctor tomorrow morning on Christmas Eve. Yep, that's exactly what I want to be doing. I will do anything for this chest cold to go away. This is the best time of year and I want to enjoy it! Spending time with family and keeping spirits high. This Christmas should definitely be one for the books. This week is going to include packing and getting things ready for the remission cruise to the Bahamas. We leave December 29th and come home January 5th. I am so ready to get out of central PA and take in some sun!
