I Rang The Bell

Every day for the past 6 weeks at 7:12 a.m. I would go to Beaumont, lay on a cold table, breath through a contraption that forced me to hold my breath for 20 seconds at a time, hold perfectly still for 12 minutes and then I would get off the table and head home. Every few days, you would hear a bell ring, which meant someone had completed their radiation and when they would appear in the waiting room, we would all sit there wishing it was us. I counted down the days until I would be able to ring the bell and finish another chapter of my cancer journey. Today was that day. When the nurse gave me my "certificate of completion" and asked if I wanted to ring the bell--I gave a resounding "YES!" I am so happy to be done with radiation. I just started getting an uncomfortable sunburn the last week so overall it wasn't that bad. The hardest part was getting up every day and driving 30 minutes to the hospital and after a week or so, it just became part of my routine--although I can definitely say that I won't miss it. For now, I will enjoy having a few weeks off from seeing a doctor and going on a much needed vacation.