Chapter 7 - Getting Through It

(KW) Two more chemo sessions in the books - #5 & #6. In one way, they are easier. The time "in the chair" passes quickly as I'm chatting with the oncology nurses and doing little things I've brought to keep my mind busy. But, in another way, they've gotten harder. The side effects are cumulative, and things that I read about (that I wasn't experiencing in the beginning) are definitely starting. 

The thing I've really started to notice is that cancer feels like it's closing in around me. It seems that everyone I know has been impacted with a close family member and/or friend, or is in a fight of their own. Not a person I tell doesn't have their own story. Maybe this was happening before I was diagnosed, and I was too self-absorbed to realize it, but it doesn't feel good. No one seems to share a good, success story. They are all long-drawn out declines or quick conclusions. Which has made me start thinking (constantly) about my own mortality again. 

In other news, I am going to bring my "Intentional Kate" project that I did in 2016 back to life in 2024. Instead of posting weekly YouTube videos and social posts about the Women-Owned products I was supporting at the time, I'm amping it up and am committing myself to post about ONE certified, women-owned brand every day for 365 days. Even on the weekends. I think that this will give me purpose and something else to obsess over during my recuperation from surgery (being optimistic that I'm going to MAKE it to surgery), as well as my "mop up chemo" and other subsequent treatments. I've even gone in and reserved a domain name: https://www.intentionalkate.com It's not live yet, but I plan to make it go live Jan. 1, 2024. How's that with planning for the future, and not just assuming it might be my last year on this planet?