Undergoing Chemo Was Not What I Imagined It Would Be

Before receiving my own diagnosis, I never imagined what chemotherapy treatment would be like.

I recalled as a young child witnessing what some of my relatives went through as they faced their own cancer journeys. Little did I know that I would also go through something similar at the age of 34.

From my mother’s side of the family, my uncle was diagnosed with colon cancer in his mid-60s. His disease was already on stage 4. A few of the symptoms that he experienced were loss of appetite and constipation. My uncle was a fighter and never gave up, as he had a lot to live for. However, in order to stay alive, my uncle went through surgery, which resulted in the use of a colostomy bag. This helped my uncle with his bowel movements. He now has to use a colostomy bag for the rest of his life. Luckily, my uncle survived the illness and is still alive today living with his family in the Dominican Republic.

In my aunt’s case, from my father’s side of the family, she was diagnosed with colon cancer at 50. One of her symptoms that I remembered during that time was constant fatigue. She was always in bed resting as she had very little energy due to her treatment. Yet, all the times that I went to visit her, my aunt had this contagious, beautiful smile on her face as a way to show all of us how happy she was being surrendered by her loved ones. Towards the end of her journey, my aunt’s stomach was very inflamed as the cancer spread through other parts of her body. She fought for her life until the very end, but unfortunately, my aunt did not make it and passed away at the age of 52.

For me, being diagnosed with colon cancer at such a very young age was very terrifying, and going through chemotherapy was 10 times scarier. I did not know how severe the illness was or how my body was going to react once I started my treatment. Yet, knowing the history of my family and how both my aunt and uncle fought no matter what helped me with my determination to be cancer free. I am lucky enough to say that my symptoms were very minimal.

To my surprise, what I feared did not happen. I did not lose my hair. On the contrary, it grew longer and stronger. I never had nausea the whole time I took my medication. I did not lose my appetite. Actually, the medication caused me to eat more, which helped me gain weight. The only physical symptom that I experienced was that the bottom of my feet turned black. Over time, however, it faded away. I was extremely excited when I finally finished my last cycle of chemo in October 2020.

Indeed, it was a huge accomplishment finishing my treatment the way I did. Nobody would have ever guessed that I went through this experience because of the way that I carried myself. I realized that the power of a healing heart played a significant role in my success. Throughout this journey, I did a lot of self-healing, which included my spiritual journey with faith and hope. Praying and interacting with God was very sacred to me. One of the prayers during that time was as followed:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for my success towards my treatment. Even though I was frightened going through chemotherapy, You showed me that anything I put my mind to is the way to be. You have protected and blessed me throughout this journey. I am beyond grateful that I have blossomed into the woman I am today. And for that, I am full of love and gratitude. FOREVER BLESSED!!!

In Jesus Name, Amen.

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