Well, well, well, we’re back to talking about cancer. I suppose that is okay. Let me fill you in on my last few months of 2021. You can click here to see other cancer related posts!

On Dec. 26, 2021 I took my last oral chemo pill. I calculated that I had 188 days of oral chemo! Man it was a ride.

The oral chemo drugs  resulted in me being so nauseous that I barely could sleep at night. I lost my sense of taste, food either tasted like nothing or like a block of metal. That was the same for anything I drank too. It also made my hair turn gray and thin. 

November 2, 2021

we found out that the Oral chemo worked and shrunk the tumor, yes, but the tumor is still there and who knows if it will go away so, it is best to just do surgery to remove it. So, this post is scheduled to go up on Jan. 10 which is the day of surgery. I plan to schedule the rest of my posts for January. However, if you try to contact me via instagram or any other social network I may be a little slower at replying. 

I also wanted to tell you about a few experiences I had.

Gabfest 2021

December 6- 10 I attended Gabfest which was a week of interactive sessions with other cancer patients for adolescents and young adults. It was hosted by two amazing organizations. The first organization is Elephant’s & Tea  whose mission is to help adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients, survivors and caregivers know they are not alone in their fight with cancer. The name comes from an analogy. The elephant in the room is cancer and the Tea is the relief conversation provides. The other organization is Cactus Cancer Society. Cactus Cancer Society’s mission is to provide a safe space where young adults facing cancer can breathe easier knowing that there are others who understand what they are facing. 

During the virtual conference I met and connected with so many people. I’ll be honest, I thought about joining into any sort of social group having to do with cancer. My perception was if I did, all we would talk about would be death. I’ll have you know we didn’t at all.

 I also think part of me was still in denial about cancer. I don’t really talk about it on a daily basis, it’s just kinda there. Which is ok in some ways and not in others. Talking about cancer is not comfortable especially to people who really don’t grasp it – which is most people I communicate everyday with but when I attended Gabfest I realized I started talking about my feelings and things I would never bring up in everyday conversations even though I may be needed to. It was definitely a much needed event that I didn’t know I needed. I got to hear amazing speakers and even started talking more about my journey as the week progressed . If you know me , you know talking in groups isn’t always my jam . I’m so thankful for everything I was able to take away from it. 

I even continued to join virtual groups put on by those organizations and I got to attend trivia night and the guest was Rain Wilson from The Office! (USA version) I was so amazed he was in our zoom call. It was so cool.