Last Bad Chemo - Yahoo!!

Yesterday, I had my last of the six rounds of chemo that gives me the bad side effects - Yahoo and major celebration time!  I was pretty excited to get this done and ring that bell!!!  They said I rang that bell pretty good and there were people in the hallway even giving me a thumbs up!!

There was also another gal there after me finishing up her last treatment and she was going to get to ring the bell when she was done.  I guess my excitement and ringing the bell gave her daughter who was with her a rush of emotion and she just lost it and started crying.  So I went over and gave her a hug and told her how exciting this was and it was a good thing, so she kinda changed to tears of excitement and joy.  Then I congratulated her mom and wished her well. She was still hooked up to the IV's and probably around my age.

Another chemo friend, Vicki the school teacher, was having her last treatment that day and finished shortly after I got there!!  She is another amazing woman I've met on this journey!  She has only missed 4 days of teaching while doing these treatments!!  But shared a story of a day of running back and forth to the teachers restroom facilities!  She's quite the trooper!! Her son and daughter were there to celebrate with her, Friday!! So I snapped a few pics of her bell ringing celebration!

Vicki is doing the same chemo I am, except she goes in a little earlier than I do but I hope we will still be able to catch each other for a few minutes every three weeks while having our Herceptin IVs.

This was also the first time to get the whole effect of using the port I had put in last time.  Much easier that trying to get a good vein in my arm!  I'm definitely glad I had the port put in and should have done it much early!

Mary Nickles was doing a radiation treatment that afternoon, too.  The radiation room is on the first floor right under the chemo treatment room on the second floor.  So she came up for a quick visit with me after her treatment before running off to her kids sports games.  She is such an inspiration to me and just enough ahead of me in treatments that she passes along info on how she's handling the next new treatment and what I'm in for.  It helps to know this cuz there is so much new unknown stuff!!

I just received a wonder flower bouquet from my dear sweet jr. high school friend, Sheila and her husband!  She sends me an inspirational card almost every week!  I can't thank you enough for the weekly spirit lift it brings me!  Love you Lots!!

Thank you all for your love and support - It's really does help me get through the down days!  Which is this next couple of weeks of the last of the bad side effects!!

Signing off to go get the last of my Nulasta (new nasty) shots!
Love you All!
Nancy

Chemo Countdown #2 and Race for the Cure

I had my second to the last chemo treatment on Friday, May 4th.  It was quite the event as it was Mary Nickles last chemo and our friend, Sherri's last chemo.  So the bell ringing was pretty exciting for them and me!!  (You may have even caught a glimpse of me with Mary on the news!! Not the 15 minutes of fame I'd hoped for...) However, the week following has been less than fun!  More severe side effects and alot of muscle weakness!  I just kept looking forward to the Race for the Cure event.

I am amazed by your support and saw more and more people signing up and donating to the cure that last week before the race.  I'm so humbled and in awe of your support and generosity that I am at a lack of words to express how grateful I am to you all.  (Chemo brain does not help with this either!)
There were over seventy people signed up to walk in support on my team!  How inspiring is that!!!! That day I was so overwhelmed with emotion (I try very hard not to let the emotion get in the way of fighting this battle) that I was not very good at expressing that to all of you, my team supporters!  But I don't know if I'll ever be able to thank you enough!!
I don't know how many of you were able to see the survivors parade at the end of the race but it was so awesome!! I wasn't planning on being in the parade but my chemo buddy Mary Nickles was holding the "Newly Diagnosed" sign leading the parade and inspired me to try!  She is so gracious and inspiring to all of us in this category.

I'll add more pics of the race when I get more from all of you who took them while there.  It was an exciting event but exhausting at the same time!  You can also see pics on our Facebook event page, I think it's called Nancy's Race for the Cure??  You know I'm not on Facebook so I really don't know but Peggy or Kellie should be able to help you get to it.

Thank you so much for your support to all who were there, and hopefully we helped raise awareness for early detection, and money to find the cure!

Signing off from my EZ chair!

Thank you all!!!

Nancy

Race for the Cure Info

The Race for the Cure event - May 12, 2012

We've scheduled to meet in front of the new Questar Center Bldg to memorialize this event by taking a few group photos.  Plan on being there at 7:30 a.m. sharp to finish by 7:45a.m.  Then it's only 1 block to the warm up/starting line on 500 South State.  There is a convenient pay parking lot just south of the meeting place. However the race is expecting a large crowd and recommends being there early if not riding TRAX in. This site won't let me post a map but I'll email it to those I have email addresses for.

Thank you so much for supporting my team by signing up for the Race for the Cure and/or making a donation to our team!  Your support is overhelming and I can't thank you enough!!

I hope to see you there!

Nancy

Get Ready!

This last treatment's side effects weren't quit as intense as in the past.  However, they keep telling me it gets worse with each one.  I've come home from work a little early the last two days as my legs and ankles have been swelling.  So I come home to lay down and prop em up higher than my heart!  But I haven't had as much nausea or insomnia. This week I've been trying to prepare mentally for the next one, tomorrow, as well as getting the house stocked with groceries, etc.

Mary Nickles emailed me that she will have a camera crew there so I may want to "wear your nice wig"!  I was glad for the advance notice!  I'm so excited for her last one!!  I'm sure we'll all be celebrating with her!  Then next time I get to celebrate!!!!!

I'll let you know how it goes in another week!  I'm hoping to feel good for the race on the 12th!

Thanks for your prayers and continued support!!

Love ya!!
Nance