My biggest challenge has been dealing with the emotional / mental impact of my cancer diagnosis. Everything changed – my body, the way I feel in the world, relationships, my ability to work. It has forced me to face a lot of things because you realize how precious life is.
Tag Archives: chemotherapy
Brielle Mastroianni
I always told people if they felt uncomfortable with a joke I made, sometime my humor is pretty dark, I would rather laugh than cry and not let intrusive thoughts and/or feelings damper my spirits. The days you wake up feeling good or strong; make those last by any means necessary. Laugh, create, find reasons to smile. Remember, it’s life and you’ve been gifted with a reprieve from the clouds and rain.
January 12th, 2021
January 6th 2021 was not just an “off” day for myself but it seemed like the world was on fire. COVID fatigue, an insurrection at the Capitol, and getting told that my cancer has come back with high progression…
January 6th 2021
day started off with waking up in damp night sweat, from a combination of anxiety and flux. Today was my appointment with my oncologist to review my routine CT scan monitoring my NED status. Little did my doctor know that my results were already sent and read to me the day before…
FOLFIRI – My Second Line of Chemotherapy
Sometimes your scans come back with less than good results; “progression” is occurring, which means your cancer is growing or has spread elsewhere. In the case of my own journey, I was quickly flunking out of chemo regimens! My response from the first regimen of chemo – FOLFOX – was fantastic after the first six infusions. I remember feeling on top of the world when my oncologist walked into the room with a huge grin telling me “Good response!”; my eyes were wide open and dilated in ecstasy! At the time both myself and the oncologist agreed to continue with the same treatment plan with no breaks or reductions in strength. However, an additional six treatments later my scans showed a result that chilled my body to the bond.
FOLFOX: My First Line of Chemotherapy
FOLFOX is an acronym for a chemo regiment that is typically prescribed to individuals with advanced Colorectal Cancer (staged III to IV), as a first line of “deferment” of the disease. In clinical terms…
My Journey Starts Here
The vast majority of traditional oncologists automatically label Stage IV Cancer as “terminal,” because of the lack of consistent medical proof that current standards of care would cure such an individual of cancer. What those…
Forgiveness & Thriving
It’s my 30th birthday and I’m finally here, sitting on this old patient table waiting for the surgeon. It’s already been years of waiting just to left alone to wait a littler longer. I grow restless and begin touching various medical…
Matthew Strother
I am a dual-citizen of America and New Zealand. Pre-diagnosis I was living what felt like a well-balanced life in Brooklyn, New York. I spent half the week working as a private tutor for high schoolers, teaching kids grammar, the art of the essay, and some smatterings of history, French, and German. The other half of the week, I pursued my own reading and writing projects. For leisure, there was some CrossFit, some yoga, haunting natural wine bars, and highly competitive board game nights with friends.
chelsey gomez
Prior to being diagnosed the first time I was a 28 year old mother to a 2 year old. I was working full time and trying to juggle everything. I was a workaholic to a point and at one time even worked 60-70 hours a week. I remember thinking I didn’t have time to be sick…
THRIVR 