Chemo - Round 2, Cycle 6

At last the day for the final treatment has arrived. Pretty much a standard treatment day. Labs, meet with my oncologist, and head to the chemo room for treatment. I thought that I might be asked to ring the bell again for my last treatment like I was last year, but that didn't happen. Could be because I didn't mention it, or maybe because I slept through most of my treatment due to the Benadryl once again. Just in case I had written my own bit to read before the ringing of the bell. I had originally decided I was definitely not gong to ring the bell because my cancer is incurable. I talked to several of my online cancer friends and I got a few good things to think about. First, do what ever makes sense to me. No right or wrong answer. For the most part I also got the suggestion that I do it for all those going through cancer. I couldn't argue that. So I wrote a quick piece to read if I were asked to ring the bell. Since I wasn't, I sent a scan of my handwritten words to the cancer center via Twitter. With no further commentary from, a copy of it follows:

The Smallest Gestures

It's a shame we fail to realize the smallest gestures often produce the largest returns. A smile when someone is feeling sad. A hand when someone is feeling down. A word when someone is feeling discouraged. An ear when someone needs to talk. That's all it takes. -Harry Petsanis