Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Bye Bye Cancer Cells

At last! I completed my final Chemotherapy Treatment on September 16th. No one wants to wish their days away, but this is one date that couldn't have come fast enough. And what a jubilant day it was! It started out with a comfortable workout at the gym followed by a half day's work with excel spreadsheets and cantankerous accountants. Mom picked me up, prompt as usual, and delivered me to the Chemo clinic.


Sandy, my vigilant infusion nurse, met me at the front desk and walked me back to the delivery drip room where I expected to settle into my self assigned chemo recliner with blanket, magazines and water bottle in tow (I chugged a diet coke before going in --no need to fuel Sandy's disapproval of my beverage of choice).


To my surprise my unassuming recliner was laden with pink bulbous balloons and a giant cake decked out with an enormous bald happy face. What a surprise!
And guess who orchestrated this event?













My mom drove all the way from her house to the Chemo clinic, dropped off said surprise, and then drove all the way back to the other side of town to pick me up! Never said a word. My mom has enriched my life and my brother and sister's lives in countless ways over our lifetimes. She has a curious, young spirit and an enormous ability to bring beauty into the lives of those fortunate to let her in.

It was a great way to commemorate the last Treatment.
Funny thing is I remember being as happy at Treatment #1 as I was at Treatment #6---it's all the ones in between 1 and 6 that were less than exuberant. We cut the cake and shared it with other patients and their friends and families who were there to support them. But wait!






Just as the second drip got underway, in walks my second surprise: Vlad! He never said a word either...just showed up with a chilled bottle of champagne. It was a wonderful surprise. Vlad was there on the first day and there on the last day....and everyday in between. He continues to take my breath away. I am so grateful he is part of my life.


Little did Mom or Vlad know that I was scheduled to see Dr. Graham after the drip session. Now I admire Dr. Graham (thank God for him), but when you have a date with Dr. Graham you better be prepared to wait. Why? Because he gives every single patient 100% of his full attention and will not walk away from them until all their questions have been answered and he has documented his review of their case in complete detail. Dr.Graham's notes are thorough and detailed, and I would imagine, legendary in the cancer community. I have often referred back to these notes to remind myself what's going on with me. In other words, I'll wait as long as I need to for Dr. Graham.




The three of us finally walked out of the clinic just after 530pm: Vlad with the yet to be opened bottle of champagne, Mom with her camera and library books, and me with a big boatload of perfect pink balloons. The cloudless, piercing blue sky was still bright with sunshine. It was a beautiful day. After depositing two more balloons with two crying children in the parking lot, I let go of the whole bunch as the three of us watched them float away and chanted "Bye Bye Cancer Cells". It was a great ending.








































2 comments:

  1. Great piece of writing! You take my breath away with your courage and take charge attitude. Also your subjects in this piece are two of my favorite people! Vlad, way to go with the pictures.

    Mom/Arleen

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  2. Wow. Bye-bye, indeed! Made me cry, and I don't
    cry much. Love you, Christine.

    Scott

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