You WILL Forget
When my wife, Chris, was in the middle of her chemo treatments, a woman came to our table in a restaurant and said that she, too, had gone through chemo and wanted to know how Chris was doing. Chris had been approached before, but there was something different about this woman’s demeanor. It soon became apparent what it was that was different.
“Look at my hair,” she said with enthusiasm; pointing to her long, thick, black locks. “It came back with a vengeance! It’s curly now and I just love it!”
Then came the pearl: “My treatments and chemo were hard, but now it’s over and I barely remember it. It’s amazing how quickly you forget the bad stuff.”
At the time, this was very comforting to hear because when you’re in the middle of it, it seems like it will never end. Here was reassurance from someone who had been there; she did not minimize the difficulty but rather acknowledged it, and then assured us that when it was over she would forget a lot of it.
She was right.
Even though Chris is nine years out, we certainly remember that she went through chemotherapy (twice, now, as it turned out) but the memories of the unpleasant part of it have indeed faded. We can recall the treatments, the nurses, what was said, what we did, the driving to and from treatments, etc., but the side effects and discomfort are both a distant memory.
Here’s the best part: We didn’t have to do any work or anything special for this to happen! I guess it’s just human nature, sort of like the pain of childbirth. I don’t have any personal experience with this, because neither Chris nor I have ever actually given birth, but we have it on good authority that it is a pain that is quickly forgotten.
Although the reasons for this are different than the reasons we forget about the unpleasantness of treatment, I’m going to stick with the analogy. With childbirth, it is the joy of the result that causes you to forget the pain. With treatments, it is the joy and sense of accomplishment when it is over.
What I’m saying here is to take heart that, although it is discouraging and difficult to go through your treatments, you WILL come out the other side and forget the bad stuff.
Our restaurant friend did. Chris did. You will, too.
Shameless plug: We have a lot of great Things on our website, and any sales will help us with upcoming medical expenses.
“Look at my hair,” she said with enthusiasm; pointing to her long, thick, black locks. “It came back with a vengeance! It’s curly now and I just love it!”
Then came the pearl: “My treatments and chemo were hard, but now it’s over and I barely remember it. It’s amazing how quickly you forget the bad stuff.”
At the time, this was very comforting to hear because when you’re in the middle of it, it seems like it will never end. Here was reassurance from someone who had been there; she did not minimize the difficulty but rather acknowledged it, and then assured us that when it was over she would forget a lot of it.
She was right.
Even though Chris is nine years out, we certainly remember that she went through chemotherapy (twice, now, as it turned out) but the memories of the unpleasant part of it have indeed faded. We can recall the treatments, the nurses, what was said, what we did, the driving to and from treatments, etc., but the side effects and discomfort are both a distant memory.
Here’s the best part: We didn’t have to do any work or anything special for this to happen! I guess it’s just human nature, sort of like the pain of childbirth. I don’t have any personal experience with this, because neither Chris nor I have ever actually given birth, but we have it on good authority that it is a pain that is quickly forgotten.
Although the reasons for this are different than the reasons we forget about the unpleasantness of treatment, I’m going to stick with the analogy. With childbirth, it is the joy of the result that causes you to forget the pain. With treatments, it is the joy and sense of accomplishment when it is over.
What I’m saying here is to take heart that, although it is discouraging and difficult to go through your treatments, you WILL come out the other side and forget the bad stuff.
Our restaurant friend did. Chris did. You will, too.
Shameless plug: We have a lot of great Things on our website, and any sales will help us with upcoming medical expenses.
I know this to be true and guessing you do also. Hold on to the positives as they come, they will help. Let me know what they say today. I love you, ME
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