Next visit was a meeting and registration at the chemotherapy clinic. I am fortunate that I live very centrally and can not only walk to my doctors appointments - GP, surgeon and oncologist - but also the treatment centre for my chemotherapy. No long drives or traffic to worry about when I'm not feeling well.
Through a phone call to the BCCA office I hooked up with the Patient and Family Counselling at the local clinic. There I met Iris who introduced me a number of other resources for both me and my children to carry us through the journey. But most importantly she listened to me and heard what I needed even though I might not have expressed the need. Finishing up with a big hug.
Quick tour of the chemo clinic before leaving where I saw many of the others on my extended team - other patients receiving chemo treatment. They all sat quietly in their beds, reading but also glancing up as Iris walked me through the check in routine when I come for treatment. Silently I heard their messages - 'welcome', 'don't be afraid', 'we're in this together'. I wanted to hug them all.
Got a big team behind me on this one, family, friends, drs, other patients....the list keeps growing and each member adds strength to the fight. I'm not in this alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment