By late spring, my mom was beginning to show signs of the chemo taking a toll on her body. Though she never complained, she told her oncologist one day that she believes her body had "reached its toxic level" So at this point they made the decision to give my mom a break. She was able to participate in her works pre-school graduation and just be "normal" for a little bit. Spending time with family and friends, something she truly enjoyed.
By this time I was out of school for the summer. My mom and I spent a lot of time together. We were either shopping online, going to the garden stores, going to Marshalls (her favorite place), sneaking to DQ and not telling my dad or sister, or she was planning a meal for me to cook for dinner haha. Things seemed pretty normal at this point.
On June 21, 2012 she got another CAT scan just to see how the tumor was doing. On June 22nd my mom, dad, and I drove to CT for Diana's wedding (my sisters friend). Jenna (my older sister) was Diana's bridesmaid so she was already there.
On June 23, 2012 my mom attended Diana's wedding. ANOTHER GOAL ACCOMPLISHED! Diana looked beautiful and we were all so happy to see her and her husband happy together. At the reception Diana had a photo booth, I begged my mom to take a picture with me. It took some time but she eventually said yes. I am so happy I begged her, they are my favorite pictures with her. They show how close our bond is. She is my rock, my best friend, the person I could be goofy with and annoy, and at the end of the day she would still love me. My mom lasted well into the night, but decided that she was getting tired and should go back to the hotel. I was so proud of her, she once again showed her cancer, who was boss. She was NOT going to let this cancer run her life.
On June 25, 2012 my dad and my mom went in to Dana Farber to get the results from her CAT scan. Once again, NO CHANGE! Her oncologist even said that there was some slight shrinkage in her tumor! They decided they would do 4 more rounds of heavy duty chemo. My mom was okay with this plan as long as the 4 rounds (every other week) would not interfere with the Bridal shower we planned for Amanda on August 18, 2012. Luckily the Bridal shower fell on her off week so she was thrilled. Once again, my mom proved just how strong she was. She was determined to fight back and continue fighting this terrible disease for as long as she could. Regardless of what was going on inside her body, she never EVER let it show on the outside. When she came home, she was ready to start finalizing everything for Amanda's Bridal Shower...something she was determined to make it to!
"if you can't fly then
run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl,
but whatever you do you
have to keep moving forward."
Martin Luther King
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