Hello to everyone who has been following along with Macy’s journey! I apologize for the lengthy gap between posts. It turns out writing about your best friend’s cancer experience is more emotionally taxing than I had anticipated. Even without these updates there has been endless love, support, and encouragement for Macy both directly to her and through her friends and family. I can assure you that she is more grateful for that than any words can articulate, so thank you for being with her along the way.
As far as Macy’s progress goes, she finished her first round of treatment towards the end of May. This round included five radiation treatments a week at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and daily chemotherapy. Macy spent six weeks in Rochester to total 30 radiation treatments and 42 doses of chemotherapy. Needless to say, she handled them like a champ. Thankfully most of the physical side effects were minor and didn’t impact her ability to live a mostly “normal” life. Macy maintained good energy levels throughout her treatment and stayed committed to her overall health and wellness. On May 20th she had her last day of treatment and celebrated with a “Ring the Bell” party in Sioux Falls with family and friends (the picture included with the post is her with her nephews at the party).
Macy did have one hiccup the week after treatment where she caught some type of bug. She became pretty sick from what was most likely just a cold and it really took a lot out of her. This was a hard mental hurdle for Macy to overcome as it was one of the first times she realized her body was different, and that because of the cancer it can’t fight in the same way it used to. Thankfully, with local medical support and her amazing team at Mayo she was able to get the treatment needed to overcome the sickness and is back to feeling more like herself.
Macy’s next steps in her treatment plan are not entirely concrete, but she does know that she will be continuing chemotherapy and immunotherapy throughout the rest of 2021. Luckily, her chemo is in the form of a pill, so she can have freedom from hospital settings and enjoy her life while taking it. She will have to travel back to Mayo every three weeks for her immunotherapy infusion. She has scans on June 23rd to assess whether or not her first round of treatment was successful. After that, Macy and her boyfriend Bobby are jet setting their way to Hawaii for a much needed vacation. Both of them lived in Hawaii (at separate times) and are excited to share one of their favorite places together.
I’ll be posting a new update after Macy’s scans on the 23rd. Until then, please keep her in your thoughts, prayers, and meditations as we approach this date. We are all desperately hoping for clear scans and good news.
For now, I’d like to share a quote with you that I use as a daily mantra for myself. I hope it brings you some sort of peace today, in whatever way you may need it.
“May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. May all beings never be parted from freedom’s true joy. May all beings dwell in equanimity, free from attachment and aversion.”
Sending love to you all, wherever you are,
Andrea
