Treatment Number 16

Mary Jo is feeling pretty good today. She was feeling well enough to go out and run a few errands which is a nice change. Today is a good day but Mary Jo needs to be careful not to overdo it. She knows she will pay for it the next day and for a few days afterwards. She has endured 16 weeks of treatment every Monday with a Newlasta shot (a white blood cell booster) 24 hours after each of the five chemo cycles given to date. Yesterday’s treatment was Herceptin only, "the little one". Herceptin is administered by I.V. through Mary Jo's power port at a dose of 129mg over a 30 minute drip. We can now see the light at the end of the tunnel and we are counting down every day and minute. It was very nice of Mary Jo's friend Jamie to stop by MOPA and keep MJ and me company during the treatment. Jamie always has great stories to tell and always makes Mary Jo laugh. We usually are the biggest and LOUDEST little group around our "patient" in the chair, but I think the laughter beats the reality of the oncology office and the chair. I also think the nurses and some of the other cancer patients get a kick out of the rare commotion.