Journal entry by Jennifer Rager-Kay —
6th and last, still kickin’ ass!
Today is my last chemo treatment! I will still need another 8 months of a medicine that is called a monoclonal antibody every 3 weeks but the bad stuff will be over. Boy has a lot happened and changed over the last 4 month. I’ve lost some weight and a whole lot of hair, can no longer stomach the taste of chicken, haven’t had coffee since the morning of my first chemo, have a new appreciation for Gatorade, tofu and Lipton extra noodle noodle soup, know what a blood pressure of 70/44 feels like, and pretty sure I’ve scared my husband more times than we’d both like. But I tell you what else has happened….I’ve learned the true meaning of let go and let God, realized just how blessed and loved I am by friends, family and even complete strangers, learned to accept and ask for help, know what it’s like to truly feel the power of prayers, have seen the good that is still in this world, can be confident I’m doing something right as a mother to have such a caring and compassionate kiddo, gained a much greater appreciation for a husband, realized just how lucky I am to have my work family including all residents, and found that I am stronger than I ever realized.
It’s not easy to believe that everything happens for a reason but now I do. Having had low blood pressure prepared me for the drop after treatments, my hemoglobin has always been on the lower side so going from 11 to 7 isn’t as bad as if it was 13 or 14 to 7, residency and having a baby prepared me for the fatigue and exhaustion, having my previous hospital close and joining the Geisinger ENT family; and being born a Rager, fighting is in my DNA!
Thank you all for your love, thoughts, prayers, well wishes, phone calls, emails, texts, cards, food, gifts, and everything in between! Much love 💕