Chemotherapy is OVER!

We did it! And by “we”, I 100% mean we!

If there is one thing I have learned through this cancer process, it’s that it truly does take a village. This is not a journey anyone should ever have to take alone. We have been immensely and overwhelmingly blessed. The outpouring of people’s time, food, finances, childcare, texts, emails, phone calls, letters, prayers, and gifts has brought me to tears many many times this year.

Although cancer sucks, there are many things for us to be grateful for. We are grateful that it did not go into Stage 4. We are grateful that the 8cm x 7cm tumor shrunk extremely quickly. We are grateful that I did not have major negative reactions to the infusions. We are grateful that although my white counts have been extremely low during this flu season, I didn’t get sick and I didn’t miss any chemo days. We are grateful chemo is over before Christmas. The list goes on, but those are the highlights!

Don’t get me wrong, this has been the most difficult thing I have ever had to go through, and it’s not done. Next year holds surgery mid-January with a 4-6 week recovery window. Then, I will go through radiation every day for 33 days. After that, a few reconstruction surgeries before “normal” life resumes once again.

As I mentioned before, we have so many things to celebrate. So, what do you do when friends send you celebratory balloons at the end of chemo? Pop them and cheer!

Thank you for taking the time to read our ramblings through this year. We are going to take a break from updating the blog until after surgery. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Nickells!

-Amy, Ryan, Olivia, Millie