Journal entry by Theresa Ekblad —
My dear friends and family,
It’s been a REALLY long time since I’ve given an update. I won’t pretend that it’s been easy, but compared to the journey up to the start of adjuvant chemo, it’s been a relatively smooth sailing.
Today, right now, I’m receiving my last chemo infusion. I have my Mom, Cheryl, with me as always - but my son Oscar is with me today also.
The last few weeks have come with ups and downs. My port was acting up, so I received chemo in the arm for the first time a few weeks ago - that totally sucked. Last week, I developed a blood clot in my arm which was a little scary. After treatment, that seems to be resolving well.
I will continue to take oral chemo for another week from today - but then I’m done! It hasn’t really sunk in yet… and honestly this entire journey has mostly been action without any true reflection. There will be lots of time for me to unpack the last year, celebrate, and be grateful.
Because of how aggressive and sneaky this type of cancer is, I will continue to have follow up appointments for 6 weeks for up to 2 years. Then we’ll move to every 3 months… then every 6 months… up to 5 years.
I plan to have a gathering in September to celebrate the completion of chemo, the one-year anniversary of my diagnosis, and my 45th birthday. I will share details on that soon.
I’m looking forward to feeling what life is like as my body continues to heal from surgery and bounces back from chemo. When you see me, give me a high five to help me celebrate.
I love you, and want to thank you for being a strong community for me as we fought.
💜🌷💜🌷💜🌷💜
Love,
Theresa