My Cancer Chronicles, Vol. 25: Cancer Free

Hi, friends! Did I intend to go silent for the last however-many weeks? No. I’ll blame it on the radiation-induced fatigue I’ve been experiencing. But I come to you on this glorious Friday with equally glorious news.

The treatment plan we’ve been following since January did the trick and I am officially cancer free! Nine months of appointments, chemo, radiation, surgeries, biopsies, tears, hospital stays, ER visits, anxiety … all for this incredible moment.

Like I’ve explained before, there is a high likelihood that my cancer will return, and because of the complications of my case, I can’t say I’m in complete remission. But it does mean that we’re not actively treating anything at the moment. I’ll go back to the cancer center every six months for scans to check for any new cancer clusters.

It’s hard to put into words how I am feeling right now. The past nine months have been a blur. Each day, we were just trying to make it through whatever was happening at the time. There was no rest. My body wasn’t mine anymore — it was a cancer-killing machine. My days revolved around treatment, medication, side effects. And to some degree, that won’t change. I’m still dealing with the complications that accompany cancer treatment, and I’ll be dealing with those for some time.

But I can also breath deeply, knowing that the cancer is no longer spreading. I can sleep soundly, assured that we made it over this mountain.

I couldn’t have done any of this without the support of my friends and family, near and far. My sweet mom, who has spent more time at my house than her own this year. My husband, who still organizes my daily medications every evening. My best friends, who drove all the way to Fairfax for my appointment today. Every person who has read this newsletter and said a prayer or sent a happy vibe my way. I couldn’t have made it through this year without you.

I hope I’ll never have to revive this newsletter — that it can just be a place of comfort for future readers who are maybe going through the same experience. I’m so glad that I told my story this way. It brought my community so much closer. I was never alone in this fight. And that is a gift I will never take for granted.

All my love,

Katie