This morning was our final scheduled appointment of this chapter. There will be a few more follow up/maintenance ones to check different things, but the hardest part (to date) is DONE!  After 15 months of chemo pills, radiation, infusion, and two surgeries he is on to recovery. It can take up to 9 months for a full recovery so he must go slow and steady and each day will be one more small victory. On a side note, he did have side effects from the variety of treatments. Those side effects may never come back or come back over time. Although our doctor told us chances of it returning or quite low, there is no guarantee it won’t ever come back. (Sure makes you appreciate life a little differently) The craziest thing about all of this there are no clear answers.

If I was to sum up this experience in one word it would be ‘unknown’. Each appointment was filled with information of what to expect and all the ways it could go both good and bad. Each person reacts differently therefore making this journey unknown. We are the lucky ones who did everything right and it worked in our favor. We are the lucky ones who exercised, cut out processed food/sugar/alcohol, and kept a positive mindset and are happily writing this post-our last one of this chapter. We are well aware that there are folks who do everything right and hit potholes or worse. Give them all the support you can.

 Relationships will change. Some will be stronger. Some will be weaker. Some will show you a side that you never expected. There is no warning of any of these shifts and they can feel amazing or hard to handle. People react to a cancer diagnosis in many different ways. Choose those that you want close who help you in the way you need and know this may shift during the journey. 

Support came in more forms than we can count. It was nationwide as we have friends and family all over the place. The distance never mattered. Let me repeat the miles between us and where the support came from did not alter the love we felt. Moving forward, if you know someone else going through this, reach out. Speak from the heart and make sure it sounds that way. Those going through it (cancer patient, caregivers, family members) are fragile whether or not you see or hear it. We loved normalcy and hearing about the trials and tribulations of daily life. 

As we prepare for summer, we are excited to plan a weekend or two away as traveling will become easier. For multiple reason, traveling longer distances in a car and sleeping out of our house has been a challenge. Thankfully that time is coming to a close and are hoping to get in some great extended family time. Oh, how we've missed you!

Take care of your body. Take the walk. Eat a vegetable. Two Oreos taste just good as ten so don’t splurge all the time. Yes, some of us are predisposed to have healthier systems, however think of what you can do to treat your body the best way you can. 

Finally, I can write the words I've been hoping to say this whole time. David's CaringBridge Journal is officially closed.