Today is world cancer day, but for many people everyday is world cancer day. It does not just end or go away after today. I work with pediatric cancer so I see cancer everyday, I also had cancer myself.
Next week marks 6 years from hearing the words myself “you have cancer”. Yes, I did hear those exact word because I remember hearing what my diagnosis and specifically saying “does that mean I have cancer”. I think for me I had to hear the actual words to be able to process what was next for me.
I was lucky, if you can call having cancer lucky. I was young, healthy and I had a cancer that was very treatable. I had 6 months of chemotherapy, which was not easy. I had a few side effects and the hardest part, I lost my hair. I was proud of myself for getting through that and still managed to continue to work full time. I only missed 1 day during treatment and a few at the very end when I was in the hospital for a few days.
Again I say I was ‘lucky”, although the treatments where not and there was many treatment days I really did not want to go too. I would just get feeling better and back to normal and it would be time for treatment and to start the cycle all over again. I got through it.
Today, I had my routine follow up with my oncologist. My labs all looks awesome, other then I need to drink more water. He said especially with me training for my half marathon I need to get more water in. So cheers as I raise my water glass to take a drink of water. My exam was good as well so I will have another follow up in 6 months, after that one we may change and do yearly follow ups.
I see my oncologist for both the Lymphoma and for my low immune system, which I get monthly infusions for. He will have to manage those infusions and for that I will only need to see him yearly. I cannot even remember when I had only yearly visits with a doctor so when that happens it will be another huge milestone.
There is one lab test still pending, it takes a few days for those results to come back. It is a level that when my cancer was active it was elevated, so there is a piece of me that has that in the back of my mind, but I will not allow myself to focus on it. I have been feeling amazing and all my other labs are great so I feel pretty confident it will be undetectable when it does come back.
If it does come back high, it will depend on how high. I have had it come back slightly elevated and we check in a month and its back to negative. If it is not good news, I will deal with that when it comes but my focus today is celebrating I am now 5.5 years in remission. Yes, relapse is always possible but each visit I am in remission is a gift and I am extremely grateful for that gift and will not take that lightly.
World Cancer Day may just be a day for some people, but if you were effected by cancer in some way every day is World Cancer Day! Today I remember all those that have lost their battles with cancer, those that are currently fighting cancer and those like me grateful enough to have beaten cancer.
If you are currently battling keep pushing and no your not alone there are many others out there and we all fight together!
No One Fights Alone!!!
Kimberly Van Iperen 