Chemo Angels
Friday, February 22, 2008 by ShawnieMac
A week or so ago, Aly asked a question on behalf of her friend whos sister was starting chemo in the near future. Her friend wanted to send her sister a care package and was looking for suggestions on what the best things might be to make things better.
It was an interesting question, because the nature of chemo combined with each person's reaction and random, erratic aversions or cravings are so unpredictable. However, it gave me a chance to think about all the things I had received during the past six months that made me smile and once again, be thankful for how fortunate I am to have so many people that love me and were thinking of me so often. The "believe" necklace I wore to chemo each Wednesday until the clasp on the chain broke... the eye mask with gel inside that you put in the refrigerator that I used all the time and even took with me on vacation... the Life is Good frame that now sits on my nightstand... the tiny silver boxing gloves that hang around my neck with the believe charm on a thin silver chain... the keychain-sized pink Everlast boxing glove that hangs on my bulletin board at work, a constant reminder to stay laced. That just scratches the surface of small things I have received that have made a difference, and I know there are times that I can't have possibly expressed my gratitude to the people who gave them to me and how much each thing means to me.
And then, there were my Chemo Angels. My angels that made sure there was something waiting for me each Wednesday for 20 weeks straight, even when they were out of town. It was nothing short of amazing to me. I wouldn't know how on earth to begin to say thank you for arrangements of flowers, for homemade ice cream, for chocolates, for running socks and the perfect grey t-shirt with a pink ribbon, for wine and wine glasses to celebrate with, for a frame that says Believe yet remains empty waiting for the perfect photo to fill it, for a basket of Bath and Body Works freshwater cucumber lotions, for coffee and coffee mugs that say 'Yes, Dear', for an edible fruit arrangement, for a bracelet with a charm that reads 'Believe', for salsa and blue chips, for Life is Good lounge pants and the most comfortable long sleeved shirt, for a gift certificate for a pedicure that I have yet to use, for a gift certificate to a restaurant that was much enjoyed, for winter penguin kitchen towels and a penguin potholder, for homemade Christmas cookies that I ate too many of - even when everything tasted like sawdust, for a beautiful diamond teardrop pendant necklace that was so over and above necessary for my last chemo treatment before surgery, and for the Wednesday treats I probably forgot to mention. I simply can't seem to find the words to say thank you to my chemo angels for their endless generosity and love, for walking 60 miles alongside us, for the love of one brother for another, and for their tireless effort to remind us that we were never, ever alone.
It was an interesting question, because the nature of chemo combined with each person's reaction and random, erratic aversions or cravings are so unpredictable. However, it gave me a chance to think about all the things I had received during the past six months that made me smile and once again, be thankful for how fortunate I am to have so many people that love me and were thinking of me so often. The "believe" necklace I wore to chemo each Wednesday until the clasp on the chain broke... the eye mask with gel inside that you put in the refrigerator that I used all the time and even took with me on vacation... the Life is Good frame that now sits on my nightstand... the tiny silver boxing gloves that hang around my neck with the believe charm on a thin silver chain... the keychain-sized pink Everlast boxing glove that hangs on my bulletin board at work, a constant reminder to stay laced. That just scratches the surface of small things I have received that have made a difference, and I know there are times that I can't have possibly expressed my gratitude to the people who gave them to me and how much each thing means to me.
And then, there were my Chemo Angels. My angels that made sure there was something waiting for me each Wednesday for 20 weeks straight, even when they were out of town. It was nothing short of amazing to me. I wouldn't know how on earth to begin to say thank you for arrangements of flowers, for homemade ice cream, for chocolates, for running socks and the perfect grey t-shirt with a pink ribbon, for wine and wine glasses to celebrate with, for a frame that says Believe yet remains empty waiting for the perfect photo to fill it, for a basket of Bath and Body Works freshwater cucumber lotions, for coffee and coffee mugs that say 'Yes, Dear', for an edible fruit arrangement, for a bracelet with a charm that reads 'Believe', for salsa and blue chips, for Life is Good lounge pants and the most comfortable long sleeved shirt, for a gift certificate for a pedicure that I have yet to use, for a gift certificate to a restaurant that was much enjoyed, for winter penguin kitchen towels and a penguin potholder, for homemade Christmas cookies that I ate too many of - even when everything tasted like sawdust, for a beautiful diamond teardrop pendant necklace that was so over and above necessary for my last chemo treatment before surgery, and for the Wednesday treats I probably forgot to mention. I simply can't seem to find the words to say thank you to my chemo angels for their endless generosity and love, for walking 60 miles alongside us, for the love of one brother for another, and for their tireless effort to remind us that we were never, ever alone.
