Where did the summer go?

9/5/2024

I am way behind on updates to the blog. So this post will cover a lot of territory. Summers go seem to go by quicker as I get older. For that matter time in general seems to fly by the older I get. I swear after July 4th the calendar speeds up and moves at light speed toward Thanksgiving and Christmas. This summer has been on warp speed since April 5th, the day I received my diagnosis.

Since my last post, many milestones have been reached. The most notable one is completing my last R-CHOP chemo treatment on August 19th. Its difficult to put into words the full emotion of that day. Early on in my treatment, going in for treatment was just a matter of getting there and back. They are long days, usually 8-10 hours from start to finish. A majority of that time spend receiving the chemo drugs. The last couple of treatments, it became as much, if not more, a mental and emotional effort than it was a logistical one. There comes a time when you become aware of the physical consequences that chemo inflicts on your body. It can be a struggle to force yourself to put your body thru it once again and then again and again. By the time the 6th and final treatment rolls around, there is a sense of relief coupled with a reluctance to feel like crap again for days after. But you know you have to do it.

Many cancer treatment facilities have a tradition of ringing a bell for those who complete treatment. Parkview infusion department does not have a bell. Their reasoning is understandable, not everyone gets to complete chemo treatment and it can be a very somber moment for those that will never get to ring the bell. So instead of the ringing a bell, I decided to hand out Hawaiian leis to everyone involved with my treatment or anyone who asked for one. (FYI: Because I wore a Hawaiian shirt to every treatment session, I became known as the Hawaiian guy, hence the leis)

As I was leaving the building after treatment, some Parkview staff members were in the lobby and asked if they could have a lei. So of course I had to give them one and explain that since there was no bell, I was celebrating by handing out leis. To which one of the ladies said, "we have a bell back in radiation, lets go ring it!"

I said, no, you're on your way out I don't want to delay you. But she was adamant about it. So away we went, back to radiology, gathering others along the way and I rang the bell with about 5 Parkview staff members cheering. It was a beautiful moment.