Day 14 | The Final Countdown

Good Morning.  We are almost there.  Tomorrow will be the big day.  My last Chemo Treatment.  I never knew what I would be going through going into this journey.  Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a planner and my level of spontaneity is low.  I have always been one to calculate risk and analyze and think through all outcomes, both intended and unintended.  When you get a Cancer Diagnosis life becomes about the odds, the likelihood of it all.  Everything is about survival rate, mortality rate at 5 years, effectiveness of treatment.  And yes even the unintended consequences of treatment.  So you literally start playing the odds.  It is hard to wrap your mind around converting your life span to intended and unintended outcomes.  But as I have said before, we all have odds that affect our life span. 

My amazing co-worker Mollie brought me a basket of goodness yesterday.  I continue to be so appreciative of everyone and their efforts.  Allowing other to serve and show their support is so rewarding.  I plan to return the favor and pay it forward every opportunity that I get.  

Did you know that your ZIP code is a direct factor in your life span.  Crazy right?  Several years ago I took a year long class on Community Paramedicine.  I actually have a certificate as a Community Paramedic and am eligible to take a Certification Exam.  Bucket list item at this point, but I learned a lot about Social Disparities of Health and what really affect our overall health.  Little know fact but the Healthcare System, your doctors, hospitals, pharmacy etc., well that is on 20% of the overall equation.  

Here is a great infographic on the topic: 

I did not create that and the source is listed above.  But take a look at the top right, 50% can be traced back to your ZIP CODE!!!!!!

I spend a good 9 months really studying this and how to help navigate and manage it.  It will blow your mind.  

So how do we do Rowan County????  Well here is a copy from the Salisbury Post Article on the matter on July 15th of 2020.

So lets be honest, you can move less than 15 minutes in ANY direction and your changes of living longer Increase.  So statistically speaking, live in Rowan County and you will die younger than if you live in ANY of our surrounding counties.  Did that blow your mind?  As a point of reference we were 59th before 2020, so were going in the wrong direction.  You can learn more from the Health Department.  Here is a link for you who want to see the math: https://www.rowancountync.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22199/2019-Rowan-County-SOTCH-Report-PDF 

But folks this is just DATA, nothing more than data.  You will learn that we will never be a stealler number because we have a lot of social service resources in our communities, which naturally attract those needing the services.  Field of Dreams moment here, if you build it they will come.  Being a Paramedic you will quickly learn the large number of individuals who move to the area just for access to the VA and their services.  People move from other states, just to have access to the VA.  Build a big VA in Concord and you will see that 9th place drastically drop.  

I say all this to just highlight that while data and statistics are significant in our lives, our choices and our actions drive that data.  A part of going through this experience for me has been learning that sometimes we have to look past the data and just move forward.  

Going into this I wanted to know everything that I could to be prepared, to know what to experience.  I wanted the checklist that said Day 1 this will happen, Day 2 this will start.  A play by play of what my body would experience so I could be prepared.  I talked to other patients who had gone through this exact same diagnosis and treatment, and got different stories.  I did research and tried to learn as much as I could about the drugs.  I asked every question possible, and my journey has been different that anyone else's.  

Now, I recommend that you always talk to other survivors, active patients and healthcare professionals.  You need to understand what the potential will be.  But you have to also understand that when they tell you "everyone is different", it is 100% true.  Your journey will be different!  But the outcomes will be the same. This whole process has been manageable.  I prepared for the worst, hoped for the best and then took it day by day.  

And here we are Day 14, the day before we do it for the last time.  Tomorrow's treatment is an easy one and I will only continue to get better from here.  I slept great last night, I feel like a human being today and feel ready to take on tomorrow.  

Through this whole process I have not had the opportunity for close contact with others given our current pandemic.  So tomorrow I am hoping that I can get as many people as possible to come and join me for a picture as I finish my last Chemo Treatment!  I'll do my best to Social Distant and I won't be passing out hugs but I think it would be awesome to have everyone who has been cheering for me at a distance there to share this moment with me.  This is one such occasion that I personally have planned to never do again.  So if you read this and your free please come tomorrow (September 28th)  at 1230 to the Wallace Cancer Institute a department of Novant Rowan and join me!