The countdown is on! Only seven more radiation treatments to go… insert HUGE sigh!

Monday through Friday, for the last four weeks, one thing has been a constant – radiation treatment. With my designated 11:40 AM time slot, you would find me at the Barrett Center anxiously awaiting the 12 minute process that felt like an hour.

Certainly there have been perks with it all:

• A special parking spot so I am not driving aimlessly looking for a space in the garage.
• The friendly staff that is happy if they never have to see you again…it only means they have done their job!
• The warm blankets placed on me as I lay on a very cold table in a very chilly room.
• The pizza and Lay’s potato chips that are part of the suggested “diet” (JK!) 
• The daily naps that are part of the side effects.
• And doctors that genuinely care…simply the best!

And what is the downside, you ask? 

• An hour and a half out of my day receiving treatment.
• The cumulative feeling of tiredness.
• The regrowth of hair that you know you will lose again in three weeks to more chemo. 
• Lost time because appointments are always 30 minutes behind.

But, only 7 of 28 more treatments – I’m 3/4 of the way there. The light at the end of the tunnel is shining bright. And I’m running to it as if I were competing in a track meet from 8th grade sprinting the 100 yard dash in 13 seconds. Whoosh!

And on this date three months ago, the first chemo treatment graced my body. Wow! Time has flown in some respects. Yet for me, the days have been some of the longest in my life.

With two and a half more months still of treatment, part of me wishes to rush time. But what will I have learned if I do?

God puts mountains in front of us to test our strength. Some would say I’m on the other side of the mountain and now coasting downhill. I don’t believe I’m there quite yet as I have yet to learn everything from this teachable journey.

But I won’t hesitate to let you know when I’ve finally conquered the mountain!