0 Final Chemo - A Time to Celebrate!!!!

Just like the little kid in the Disneyland commercial says “I am too excited to sleep”. So here I sit at one o’clock in the morning creating my newest blog entry. Although none of us are at Disneyland, we are at the happiest place on earth right now – warm and snug in our own homes seeing a very bright light at the end of what has been a very, very dark tunnel.

Julie had her final chemo today ending a very long 11 months of fighting this demon called IBC . It was a surreal feeling for her and, like all cancer patients do, she is wondering is it really over? Her white blood count was extremely high but we are all thinking, the doctors included, that this is caused from the Neupogen...the white blood cell promoting injection. This is also the drug that makes her nauseated and causes her bones to ache. Hopefully, the final injection will be on Monday and she can say goodbye to that poison also.

We all know there will be more medications she will need to be on, probably for the rest of her life, and the doctors are currently making the decisions of what those will be. We know there will be an anti-cancer drug that will fend off the hormone-receptive cancers and also a drug to prevent bone loss, but those prescriptions will be written in a few weeks after her body has a chance to heal from this last chemo.

We did not let this day go by without celebrating…we are a gift giving family and this day was better than Christmas for all of us. Ken brought her a big purple balloon bouquet, Jessica had purple flowers delivered to her at work this morning, her coworkers also marked the occasion with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and I sent her a special 'hand-made with love' beaded purple necklace and earring set (my newest favorite hobby).

Cancer is much more complicated than just surviving – it is not a sprint through treatment and beyond – it is a marathon and it is also starting and celebrating a new life. There is the constant fear of reoccurrence that never goes away – every new ache and pain screams out and makes you wonder if the cancer has returned. As a breast cancer survivor myself, I fully understand this and hopefully I can help Julie understand that these fears are part of the ‘new normal’ start in her new cancer free life.

She now has a different body, a different perspective and a whole new appreciation of how she wants to spend her time. Her new life is going to have a lot in common with her old one, but it will never be the same. Her new normal will different, it will also be a lot of fun. She will appreciate taking some time out each day to laugh a lot and enjoy the little things in life. She will now celebrate each day, dream big and live life to the fullest.

It is ironic that Julie’s favorite color has always been purple. Now it has special meaning in her new life as purple is the official Relay for Life Cancer Survivor color….and now she can wear it proudly as she Celebrates, Remembers and Fights Back and continues to be an advocate for others whose lives have been turned upside down because of a diagnosis of Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

Until the next episode… don’t forget to celebrate and live your life to the fullest too…today…and everyday!

Jan