Today is the day for my 6th and final treatment! To say I am excited is a bit of an understatement. There’s a different feeling today compared to past treatment days, knowing I’ve made it through five chemo sessions and only have one left to go. There’s still a part of me that doesn’t allow myself to get too excited because I still have to do the biggest hurdle yet, the stem cell transplant.
My mother and my sister are joining me for this last round. I welcome the company for sure! They help my mood to have people with me. Treatment gets a little harder each time, and with that, the mood is harder to fight when you know what lies ahead. My first treatment almost gave me a false hope because it wasn’t “that bad”. But as they went on, more and more symptoms came, the longer they stayed, and the worse they got. It truly makes me nervous for the stem cell transplant where I will have 6 days of back-to-back chemotherapy.
The transplant is becoming more and more real too. The dates are set, and I have secured housing in Rochester for me and my caretaker. It was a sunken reality I wasn’t expecting when I paid the deposit for housing; no longer was it just talk, but now a definite reality I will soon be facing. No matter what, I know that I WILL get through it, I am on the final stretch, the light is at the end of the tunnel, and soon I will be able to focus on recovery and remission.
How can you help?
I’ve had people ask me how they can help, and it’s been a tough question to answer up until this point as I truly just didn’t know what I needed help with. Now that I am well informed of what the stem cell transplant will entail, and all the details squared away for my living arrangements; I’ve come up with some of ways that would be beneficial if you feel so led!
- Frozen meals to take to Rochester (I head to Rochester April 15th. Freezer space will be somewhat limited, so I only need a few to get us started)
- Meal gift cards/grocery store gift cards.
- Gas cards for travel for me and my caretaker.
- Donations for housing
Lessons Learned
God walks with us through fire. I recently watched the movie, I Can Only Imagine 2, with a friend. It was so good, I highly recommend it. In it, it talks about the story in Daniel how God walked through the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. If you don’t know their story, they were thrown in by the King because they refused to bow down to an idol he created. But they survived the furnace, and not only did they survive, onlookers saw a 4th person walking around in the furnace with them glowing white. What I find amazing is that God didn’t just remove the furnace as an option, or save them from the furnace alone, but he literally walked WITH them in the fire. In the end, not a scorch or smell of smoke was on them when they got out. What a story. I relate to this story right now and the journey that I am on. It’s hard sometimes to go through the fire, and the human side of me wants to go it alone, but I am reminded of how much God is in the picture, walking with me through this, and making sure I get to the other side. I’ve seen evidence of that throughout. Not only is he in this journey with me, but he wants to be. I am reminded of one of my favorite hymns, “What a friend we have in Jesus”. I am truly blessed he doesn’t just leave me hanging, but he is there, in the fire, walking with me. I know I will get through this with him by my side.
Even Still I Will Worship 
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