As I embark on this journey, my eyes are forever opened. I see beauty all around me—especially in people. What once may have been judgment, envy or any other vice, is now replaced with genuine happiness in seeing others living their lives. I wonder, frequently, do they know how precious life is? Pre-diagnosis, I’m not certain I did.
Today, my eyes saw things slightly different as I looked around at fellow cancer patients at Moffitt. My mind toggled between seeing beauty and sadness. Some were elderly, some were younger than I, some were lacking their hair, some were frail, and some had such an amazing spirit about them. I fought back tears on multiple occasions as we made eye contact in the halls or I overheard conversations with their nurses during our infusions. Despite the difficulties ahead, I am grateful for this awakening.
On a lighter note—if that’s at all possible—my first treatment commenced today. The molecular testing came back BRAF negative, which means less aggression, so we went with Plan A for treatment. It’s a single immunotherapy medication that is given intravenously every four weeks. Leave it to me to have an allergic reaction to this medication five minutes into my infusion. As my lips were tingling and going numb, all I could think was—you have got to be kidding me!! Nope. Full on allergic reaction, but it was mild and conquered with some Benadryl and delay. I was able to complete my treatment, thank God!
I’m excited that my conventional medicine journey began today and I’m one step closer to healing. I must admit though, I still feel like I’m dreaming sometimes. I don’t feel sick, and when I’m goofing off with Rick and Aislin, I forget what’s going on inside my body. I’m grateful for those moments. Especially because at some point, almost daily, I remember that I’m not dreaming.
Thank you again to everyone that is lifting us up in prayer—we can feel it.
Love & Sunblock