I greet these latter days of February with much eagerness and hope. I am in the homestretch of a long, if grueling treatment regimen.
My 28th and last day of treatment (radiotherapy by Linear Accelerator) is on February 28, 2005, six months after I underwent surgery (modified radical mastectomy) on August 28, 2004. In between, from September 16 to December 31, I had six cycles of chemotherapy (TEC, or Taxotere (Docetaxel)-Epirubicin-Cyclophosphamide) spaced three weeks apart.
Throughout these last six months, the unwavering love of my family, and the steadfast financial and moral support of my donors, relatives and friends have kept my flagging spirits up.
I remember many moments of despair and sometimes, even anger…but none lasted for very long in witness of the outpouring of God’s bountiful blessings and tender mercies for me and my family.
Cancer and its treatment is an utterly indescribable experience that I wish no one ever has to go through. It is exhausting, physically painful, emotionally draining, temporarily disabling, but also permanently life-changing. I pray that we who must suffer this shall always choose to change for the better.
Recovery is a welcome prospect. I finally resumed driving longer distances over the pre-Valentine weekend. I could not risk doing this during chemotherapy due to the dizzy spells and occasional aches and pains I had.
I quickly relearned all the cuss words drivers on Philippine roads are wont to say. But I couldn’t say them out loud because my brave children were my only passengers for the day. =)
I now drive myself to and from the hospital for radiotherapy (just a short five kilometers roundtrip), placing a pillow on my chest so the seatbelt would not scratch the radiation burns under my loose cotton shirt.
I’ve also resumed playing badminton twice (sometimes thrice) a week, although my fingers still feel somewhat numb (from the chemotherapy drug).
I started feeling numb after Chemo 5 and I read somewhere it could be permanent. My hair hasn’t grown back, my nails are still black—all side effects of chemo. And I do feel quite tired in the late afternoons following my noontime radiotherapy.
Still, these shouldn’t stop me from trying to make my life as normal as it could be. I am truly grateful for every single day that I am alive. Life is a wonderful, wonderful gift from the Lord! And my life, which you have helped extend, is your very own wonderful, wonderful gift to my family. =)
Again I thank all of you, my donors, for standing by us in this, our time of need. My children and I pray daily for your good health and success. May all the good that God gives be yours, today and always.
