Last Round of This Treatment

This post was technically written on October 13, 2025

This is it! Round 12. The last of my regular chemo regimen. The final round of this fight, and I’m winning by a country mile. Today I also met with my Oncologist again, and the optimism was flowing. My numbers are still great, and we are able to transfer my maintenance treatments to a smaller, satellite clinic which is only a three minute drive from the house. I can use my new electric scooter that we bought! These appointments will all be less than an hour because the maintenance drug is only one thing. 

There is a woman here getting a chemo infusion each Monday that I am here. I think we are on a similar treatment schedule. She is a bit older, but very nice to us. She smiles and says “Hi!” with a great big smile each time. We don’t speak for very long, usually in passing while heading to the restroom or coffee table.

She isn’t here today. I don’t want to assume things but my nurse didn’t know why she wasn’t here either. It’s possible her schedule or treatment changed. It’s possible that she couldn’t make it because she didn’t get her usual ride service on time. …But it’s also possible that her condition worsened between today and two weeks ago, and that she passed away. 

I also had to sit in my chair and overhear a conversation with my oncologist and another of his patients a few rooms down who did get worse, and the news wasn’t good. I imagine it was tough for them to also listen to ours as well, since my treatment seems to be the closest thing to best case scenario. Again I am humbled, even during my last round of chemo. Not everyone here is closing the same chapter that I am. Some of them never will.

I am finishing this fight, though. When I disconnect from my take-home pump on Wednesday, I get to ring the bell. That’s what signals that the fight is over, and I get to raise my arms in victory. I didn’t get through this alone, though. Leah and everyone who has supported me deserve a lot of the credit. I can taste the success already! Or maybe that’s just the chemo. But this will be the last time for that! 😉