Finito!

I've been remiss in updating here, as Kane reminds me with relative frequency, and I do feel guilty about that. But, the time has not been wasted, rather filled with sweet events, so I can't be hard on myself. I could swear I posted something about lucky treatment number 7, which I did construct in my head, but apparently never put it to keyboard...

Treatments five and six were rough. My kick-over-the-speakers attitude was beginning to wan a bit. Sandwiched between six and seven however, Stephen and Katie came to visit. Getting to know Katie, who I gather is going to be around awhile, and seeing my brother in love, was a great distraction. The seventh treatment the following week was easier than five and six, I think because there was finally an end in sight. And with Mom in town that following weekend, recovery was easier on us all - there was a third person in the rotation for hide-and-seek, tricycle training and bath-time!

After that following week off treatment, we had a three day weekend in Napa for Jen and Mike's wedding. A day of touring wineries with friends via limo, a day off with Steve touring by bicycle, some really fabulous food, a candlelit wedding under the stars, lots of laughs and moments with great friends, the comfort of knowing Donovan was home with Yenny riding the train and eating ice cream each evening...I came back on a high and that carried right into the eighth and final post surgical treatment, which started our first day back.

Although it has been the hardest physically, it was the easiest mentally. Throughout those three days last week, no matter the nausea and that chemical taste, no matter how bad the burning in my hands and mouth, no matter a few more eyelashes - I truly believe I will never have to do this again and that made it easier to power through. And then there I was, after three and a half months of treatment, being unplugged Wednesday afternoon...rounds of hugs from all the nurses, cheers from the receptionists on my way out the door, a flood of relief and tears in the car home. It was actually hard to put into words how good it felt to be done. And then, on Thursday evening, my niece, Kasey Gabrielle Metz was born and Keith was quickly able to put it into words...she and I now share the first day of the rest of our lives.