Several significant dates and events have all come together this week, and what a grand week it has been.
Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my cancer diagnosis. It has been a year filled with many emotional, physical and spiritual challenges, but we have met them all and have emerged victorious.
Today is my 20th and final radiation treatment. The only side effect I have noticed is the return of my fatigue. I was just beginning to get my strength back and the cumulative effects of the radiation have knocked me back down again. But the good news is that this should be the last series of treatments that I have to go through, and I should now be able to regain my strength and stamina permanently.
Last Tuesday was Day 90. I can't believe it has been 3 months since my bone marrow transplant, and that is a very significant milestone for an autologus transplant patient. While my recovery is not totally complete, and my immune system is still being reestablished, I can now resume most of my normal activities.
And yesterday we headed back to Duke to meet with Dr. Horwitz, for my 3 month followup visit. My blood work looked just fine, his list of questions was answered satisfactorily, and the visit could not have gone better. He confirmed I have reached the point that we all hoped and prayed would arrive: I am now in complete remission, will need no further treatment, and will simply be on a routine followup schedule for the next several years with periodic scans to confirm that the cancer has not returned.
Praise the Lord! Twelve months ago we were struggling to figure out how to deal with devistating news. Today we are rejoicing in my clean bill-of-health, and looking forward to living our lives without having cancer as a central focus of our daily existence.
All in all I would say this has been a pretty darn good week.
Congratulations, Jim! When in treatment, that final day of release from the constant care never seems to come. But when it does, there is a bittersweetness in going out the door for the last time. Now is the time to adjust to the new you - how has cancer changed you?
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