Now to getting on with life.

(me and my dear nurses: Susan, Susan, Me & Christine)

Who knew you could have a good day the same day you had chemo, but guess what? It can be done. I showed up to my last chemo all decked out in my pink breast cancer shirt, socks and sweater. I came bearing soap gifts for the nurses and coffee gifts for my doc. Complete with two bottles of sparkling cider for me and Barb (my chemo buddy) since it was the last day of chemo for both of us. The chemo itself was routine (though I never wanted to find such an awful thing as "routine" the reality is, routine is a welcome thing because it means I had no problems) I have a huge praise that my counts have not dipped down once during my entire chemo run and I have since learned that is is quite unusual. Some of my friends have been delayed or incompacitated by low counts and I have not really experienced either. A big praise and thanks for prayers on that one. My recovery from this last chemo will likely be longer because I could not have the $6,000 Neulasta shot I normally get to force my white blood cell count to rebound, because it would interfere with my surgery to have my arm port removed. Since my port is actually coming through my arm, getting it out as soon as possible was important.

So here is the really cool things about my last chemo. My parents brought me lunch and sat with me until the end. There is no substitute for having your Mommy and Daddy around, even at 31 years old. My chemo buddy, Barb, gave me a beautiful hand crocheted pink scarf. My doc and nurses had tears in their eyes as they said, "goodbye" to me and this made me feel so warm and fuzzy. I got to ring the "done with chemo" bell they have in the treatment room. (see picture) It has a poem on it that reads, "To celebrate this day, As I go on my Way, I ring this bell, for I am well, My treatment is done, and I can say I have won."

My last chemo fell on the same day as my sister's birthday and even though all the focus should have been on her, she did something very cool for me. She had 24 pink balloons when I got back to her house. She gave some to each member of the family (small & big people) and everyone who could read a verse about hope and prosperity, read them aloud. She had them on index cards. Then we all released our pink balloons into the air as a sign of victory, new beginnings and a bright future. I thought I would cry, but I was so excited about how bright my future looks (combined with pure exhaustion from the chemo) that I didn't cry. I had coincidentally dressed in pink that day and noticed that Bethany, Lydia, Mom and Lara had intentionally dressed in pink for me. It was a moment I will never forget.

It has been 5 days since my last chemo and I am now getting around to updating you all on my last day of chemo. I have been busy making over 1,000 soaps, and this week I got to shrink wrap and price them all. We will be in NoVA for the whole week of Thanksgiving and I hope to see as many dear friends as possible.

My port removal was fine. Once I saw the actual port when they removed it, I was a little creeped out to see how big it really was. The port itself (the part that started coming through my skin) was pretty small, but it had an 18 inch long tube on the end that was threaded all the way through my vein into my heart. (I am glad I didn't know that while it was inside me, the idea is a little unsettling) I have been tired from my last chemo and the site where they removed the port is a little sore, but really not too bad.

People have asked me how I would rate chemo as a whole. I have to say that I faired much better than I was expecting and really did not experience any of the horror stories people had reported or warned me of. I did not throw up once, I was never hospitalized, my chemo was never delayed and my counts were always in normal range. I do not attribute this to luck or good genes (we have already learned my genes are not so good), I attribute it as a whole to YOUR prayers and the Lord's strength. I would wake up some days and feel the prayers shooting through my body, laying on me like a warm blanket, and it felt good. Thank you for that. Thank you for each of you that said a quick or long prayer, sent a note or email and just lifted me up and carried me through this time.

I will continue to update you as I heal, get hair back, and have my "new boobie" surgery on December 19th. Also, we will hopefully be in our new home in the next 3 weeks or so. (keep praying for that). On a side note, you may have noticed I changed the colors on my blog, this is not a light decision. I decided this blog is not about Breast Cancer anymore, but about moving on, breathing new life and being greatful for every regular day that cancer is not a part of.

Love to you all

Kat