Radiation Treatment 30/30: I made it. The day has finally arrived. I received my final zap of radiation today, and the shock of no longer having active cancer treatment and going into maintenance mode hit me pretty hard on the way back out to my car. Maybe that's why they give everyone a teddy bear after their final treatment - to hold on to with dear life while you cry tears of joy. What's it like to live a normal life? I honestly don't even remember, but I'm excited to find out.

I gave thank you cards to the radiation therapists who were with me the most over the course of the last six weeks. As weird as it might sound, today was actually kind of bittersweet. Becca was there for my pre-visit and for my final treatment. Trey was with me for almost all 30 treatments. Alex was there for the majority of my treatments and had me ring the bell three times before I left. I gave them all hugs. Inside their cards were sketches I drew just for them earlier this week. I saw those three more than any other medical professional during this entire journey, and it meant a lot to me having what felt like a small, consistent radiation team. There's a handful of other therapists that treated me, but I rarely saw anyone but those three.

I feel like I'm back to chemo-levels of energy. My tank went downhill last Thursday when I started my "boost" treatment and has been draining a little more every day. My radiation oncologist said next week will be tough, but my energy will start going back up after that. It will take 4 - 6 weeks to fully recover from the radiation fatigue. And even then, things still might not be back to normal. Just because my treatments are over doesn't mean it's actually all over. Chemo left horizontal lines in my fingernails, and every day I'm reminded of March 6 and 27. I was able to trim off the Valentine's Day reminder last week. 😊About 1/3 of my upper eyelashes suddenly fell out this week. My fingernails all started to break off near the tips. My hair is finally coming in thicker, but there's still a spot at the center of my hairline that is refusing to grow, so I buzz it all off every three days. I learned two days ago that this is all normal and may continue to happen for months. It's possible my hair will never grow back the same.

Okay, so back to better, less gross news. I "graduated" physical therapy on Tuesday! Fingers crossed the cording doesn't get worse again. So far, so good and it's very minimal. I haven't had this kind of range of motion in my right arm since Christmas! Sometimes we take for granted how healthy we actually are, even when we don't feel like it. Being able to grab the measuring cup from the top shelf of a kitchen cabinet PAIN-FREE is such a good feeling! I've been in so much pain the last five months, I've forgotten how much better life is going to get as I finally start the recovery process. 

As I mentioned in my last blog, I decided to quit social media a couple of weeks ago. Honestly, I haven't really missed it. I kind of feel like a weight has been lifted. I looked at my phone way more than I realized, and now I'm experiencing more of a sense of freedom. Freedom to focus more on me and the things that bring me the most joy. I'm not sure if I'll post again on here. I might. I've thought about making a personal website, but we'll see. For now, if you don't already have my cell # and want to stay in touch, shoot me an email at daisy.hibbard@gmail.com. 

Thanks for all the love and support, everyone. I don't wish cancer on anyone. It will only tear you down and make you question everything about yourself. Here's to hoping that cancer research makes some major progress in our lifetime.