When a bad thing becomes a good thing

When a bad thing becomes a good thing

I will never forget my first week of chemotherapy. As if the cancer wasn’t enough, you suddenly are thrown into the more difficult challenge of dealing with all the side effects of chemo. The doctors and staff like to share with you the percentages of patients who get what side effect. At first I thought it was all a shot in the dark as to who would get nauseated, lose hair, lose fingernails, have a port, etc. But after talking to many women who’ve gone through the experience, I’ve decided that all of us had our fair share of most if not all of the side effects.

In the beginning you’re told NOT to go eat your favorite food after your first chemotherapy session. I was sure that advice didn’t apply to me and met friends at a wonderful café to enjoy my favorite veggie wrap immediately after my first chemo session. In four short hours I was not too thrilled with my decision. I got very sick to my stomach, and the nausea remained with me every day for two months. Naturally I was dreading my second chemotherapy treatment. After I was done, I thought of trying to turn this bad thing into something that would do me some good. So I asked the friend who had taken me to chemo to turn into a fast food restaurant where I ate my fill of French fries. Needless to say, I haven’t had fries since, and that was three-and-a-half years ago.

“A mistake is simply another way of doing things.”—Katharine Graham (1917-2001)

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