Chapter 9
The Last Chemo & The Bell
The Week Of Chemo 9
Monday
I spent a beautiful afternoon with one of my best friends and her two little ones - a nearly four-year-old and her 7-week-old baby. Her daughter asked why I was wearing a hat. We talked about how the medicine made my hair change. She asked if she could see... and see more... until eventually, my hat came off completely.
- Then she asked me to keep it off.
I’ve never felt so accepted. Just me - JuJu - playing jigsaws and making her giggle. No pity. Just love.
Tuesday
Pedicure day! Cleared by the chemo nurses, thank you very much. Massage was a no-go, but a bit of pampering was allowed. I did manage to burn my back on my hot water bottle (only I could do that!), but otherwise, bliss. Then it was time for bloods and my tube was ready for the next day.
Wednesday – Chemo Day
In at 9:30am, out by 10:30am - including a toilet stop! I felt queasy during treatment but a quick anti-sickness tablet helped. Also, I got to see a friend ring the bell - she was DONE with chemo. What a moment!
Thursday–Sunday
Time with family. Resting. Catching up with an old friend who said I should become an inspirational speaker. (I mean... where do you even start with that?)
Funny how two years later I’d be writing this very piece.
Saturday Hit Me Hard
My mood dipped. That relentless back pain just wouldn’t go away. I was starting to realise that maybe, just maybe, this was the new normal - at least for now. No amount of medication gave total relief. That was a tough pill to swallow.
Chemo 10:
The Penultimate Treatment
We left the hospital buzzing - one more to go!
I was so focused on the finish line, I forgot to stop and recognise how far I’d come. What I’d been through. What I’d survived.
That week I spent time with a beautiful friend who’d been through her own hard year. She and her daughter gave me a handmade pebble picture - I’ll treasure it forever.
And I had a little trim of my hair! First one since it started growing back. Just sitting in a salon felt like a treat.
I was still resting lots, frustrated I couldn’t get things done around the house, but focused. One more. I just needed my body to hold up for one more time.
The Last Chemo & The Bell
Bloods: ✅
Treatment: ✅
Reaction: ❌
I sailed through it!
What I haven’t mentioned yet is that my mum has stage four cancer. She’ll never be able to ring that bell - her treatment won’t end. I spoke to her beforehand to ask if it would upset her. Her response?
“Don’t be daft. I’m over the moon that one of us gets to ring it. Ring it loud and proud.”
So I did.
My family came in. They filmed it. I rang that bell.
And honestly? I haven’t watched it since. It takes me right back to that unit and everything it took to get there.
What Six Months After Chemo Looked Like
Hair? Growing. Darker. Wavy.
Fatigue? Still here. I feel drunk 80% of the time, thanks to strong medications for my FND.
Outlook? Still smiling. Still positive.
Chemo is now a memory - one that changed not just my life, but everyone around me.
I had so many reactions you wouldn’t believe unless you lived it.
But I did.
And I survived. 💪