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- February 25. 2010: Red, White and ...
- February 18. 2010: “Friends of the Heart”
- January 29. 2010: All Done!
- January 26. 2010: Almost Done!
- January 20. 2010: Six more!
- January 14. 2010: Happy Birthday to me!
- January 5. 2010: Over the Hump
- December 30. 2009: 20 More To Go!
- December 25. 2009: Merry Christmas
- December 24. 2009: Christmas Fever
All Done!
For the past seven weeks my life has been the same thing from 11:45 until 12:30.
I would pack up the kids, bring them to my parent’s house and go to radiation.
This is LAROC (Lakeshore Area Radiation Oncology Center). It’s the building where I get radiation done. There are no bad smells in the building. It’s not “clinical”. It’s very zen. There are water features and soothing music throughout the building. Oh and carpet. Not hard vinyl tile floor like a hospital.
Everyday I would walk in the sliding doors, proceed through the regular waiting room and go to the special waiting room. I named it special because it’s where people like me wait to get radiated (or what Dusty likes to call radiant). Then one of the radiation techs calls me back to a room that is built like a vault. It has a thick steel door and the walls are 4-6′ thick.
Here are the wonderful radiation techs who I see every day. Marie, Karen, A GVSU Student and Linda. Bob works there too, but he must have been at lunch. My appointments are always over their lunch shift.
This is the table that I lay on to have radiation. My arms go in the red stirrups and the triangular pillow goes under my knees.
Once I’m on the table, the techs get me situated perfectly so I don’t get accidentally radiated in other body parts. When I’m right where they want me, I cannot move an inch. They leave me alone in the room and go to their hub. Their hub has four computer screens and a closed circuit television to watch me on. Once they’re ready, the machine moves around me and I get radiated in five different areas.
Then they send me on my merry way. Although today they gave me a certificate and a coffee mug.
Today was my last day of all cancer treatments! No more chemo. No more radiation. Nothing. I feel like I should run through one of those finish line tapes that you see at the end of a race. If I see one today I’m going to run through it pumping my fists in the air. It feels awesome to be done. Absolutely wonderful. I can’t put into words how thankful I am to be done with treatment and most of all to be cancer free!
From this point forward I have routine check ups with my oncologist every three months where they check my blood and make sure my numbers are good. I’ll keep my blog updated when I get any news, but from now on, I won’t be writing much.
So many of you held my hand through my treatments and I will be forever thankful for you. I couldn’t have done it without the healing hand and grace of our great savior and God or without his wonderful people. Thank you for walking with us on our journey. God Bless.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
-Jeremiah 11
January 29. 2010 at 16:25
Lindy, you are a treasure. I rejoice for your completion of this marathon (then why am I crying??) Every day I check for a blog entry…you have always been a source of inspiration and I am going to miss you! Our God is a God of light, and He shone through you even when you had dark days. Before all this, I only knew you through Rachel. But you shared so honestly and beautifully that even strangers like me feel like we know you….and best of all, we are family through belief in Jesus Christ. May He continue to bless you abundantly every single day of your life. Dusty got it right: you are radiant!
In the One in whom we live and move and have our being,
Marianne
January 29. 2010 at 16:57
Yeah!!! You did it!!!! God did it!!! He healed you!! This cancer, all the treatment is a thing of the past! I was thinking of you today in this very last stretch of the marathon. Praise God! Thank you for sharing your journey with us. Your faith has truly been an inspiration and what a great testimony to our Savior never lets us go! “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.” I Chronicles 16:8-11
January 29. 2010 at 19:12
I am so happy for you guys!! It is done. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. You are truely amazing.
January 29. 2010 at 21:52
I am so happy for you! As a fellow mom I can’t imagine how great it feels to be able to “fully” participate in the kids lives again and to be cancer free!!!!! Good for you for tackling this challenge head on and winning…yes you definitely deserve a double fist pump and that incredible feeling of crossing a finish line. You crossed the most important kind of finish line of all
:)
January 30. 2010 at 08:26
Praise the Lord….For HE is sooo good! So thankful with you that you are DONE!!! What a journey….what a story….and now you have the rest of your life to tell others how GREAT God is!!!
January 30. 2010 at 14:41
Congratulations Lindy!! How wonderful to be all done! I liked your description of the radiation place. I wondered what sort of equipment they used to do this “radiant” thing. Enjoy your kids now. I’ll miss your posts, but not the reason for them.
January 30. 2010 at 16:29
Thanking God for His awesomeness…don’t even know if that’s a word or not, but right now it is. What a journey this has been….notice the past tense, “has been”. Now you can look forward to a normal life, without treatments and appointments everyday.
GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!
Love you all!!!!!
January 30. 2010 at 16:42
We are so happy for you! You have been a blessing to others with sharing your story, thanks for all the updates and including us in your journey. You deserve a big round of applause! May God bless you and your family.
With love,
Uncle Bob & Aunt Sue
January 30. 2010 at 21:58
PRAISES,PRAISES,PRAISES!!! I am so excited for you! Job well done!!!
January 31. 2010 at 11:23
Hi Lindy, Although I’ve never left messages for you, I did the ‘virtural pop-in’ to read your blog once in a while, and thought of you often. We all have a lot to learn from you and your experiences. I am so glad it’s all over for you, and I can not imagine how happy you must be. Best wishes to you, Dustin, and the kiddies! Susan W.
February 1. 2010 at 08:50
Dearest Lindy….. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. You are so special !!! I can only imagine what you and Dusty have gone through. We continue to pray for you and your wonderful family.We have ALL grown this experience.God continues to mold you and shape you for His glory. He has plans for you and Samantha that we can only imagine now.
Love you, Dad
February 1. 2010 at 18:08
Lindy…when I think of you…I think of light:)
“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:3
You are radiantly beautiful in God’s sight!
In His Grip..barb
February 2. 2010 at 08:47
So happy for you - and your family. God bless!
February 2. 2010 at 16:19
Lindy - what a journey. And one that you have run for the prize! So happy to hear that the treatments are over. You are such a strong person and have been a great example of God’s faithfulness. We will continue to pray for your strength to return quickly. Lots of love. The Amayas
February 3. 2010 at 22:17
Awesomeeeeeee!!!! Oh Lindy - I hope celebrated in some way!!! I was just laying in bed the other night thinking about when this all started and look at how far you’ve come and all you went through!!! We have not stopped praying for you! This is just great….I’m so very happy for you and Dusty and the kids!! You made it! Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 4. 2010 at 20:39
What a wonderful end to all of this. Congratulations!!
February 8. 2010 at 20:02
Yeah…you are done. How exciting. Thanks for sharing pics of your experience with radiation. It is nice to have a visual of what you went through…..did you catch that “went through”. No more:) Go and celebrate. You should be so proud of yourself. Thanks for inspiring many of us. You have done amazing things, Lindy. Be in touch soon….would love to meet you sometime for lunch or coffee. You have my email so let me know when you get some free time!