Today I am seven weeks from my last treatment for stage 3 ovarian cancer. Two weeks ago I found out that my CT scan was clear and there’s every hope that I have eradicated my cancer through surgery and chemotherapy.

I’ve been told that I exhibited a “quiet determination” throughout. I’m working on owning that as a strength and set of resources I’ve been able to access. I certainly have never been as physically ill as I was after some of the treatments. What helped me get through it? The power of friends. Every time I went to an appointment or a procedure I took with me a person who cared and was openly there for me. I didn’t know if I could get through some of the times and there was always someone who would let me cry or talk or just be.

Among the many notes I’ve received since the startling day of my diagnosis there was one that spoke to the good things that would come during this time. This wasn’t a sugar coated thought, but one from a person I  know to be wise who had just experienced a tremendous loss due to cancer. It has stayed on my mind as a guiding thought and in the back of my mind I’ve looked for those prospects in the mix of the challenging times.