Jadan’s LAST DAY of CHEMO: Friday, October 3, 2025: “Wanna ring the bell?”

03 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by lanikamal in Jadan's Cancer Journey Tags: , , , , , ,

It was a day of gratitude and relief. Jadan’s last day of this 12-week chemotherapy treatment for testicular cancer is over. We have been looking forward to this day for a very long time. Personally, I feel exhausted. I have also been emotional off and on all day. I am focusing on the ‘good’ or ‘positive’ of having cancer. I acknowledge that with Jadan’s cancer being curable, we are so fortunate. And I celebrate this. At the same time, we have met so many beautiful people during treatment who are in for the long-term journey. There are so many people from every background, culture, age, gender, etc. Cancer does not discriminate; it takes anyone, as we know too well.

In preparation for today, Jadan and I planned a few tokens of appreciation for our excellent nurse care team. We thought it would be a good idea to replenish their stock of Jolly Rancher hard candies, so they got a 3-lb bag. I had no idea they came in such large quantities. Jadan requested that they each get Soulgardener earrings and a custom pen.

We also included watercolor paints, Be the Change stickers, and a pocket notebook. Health care workers can experience burnout, chronic grief, and compassion fatigue, which can affect the nurse-patient relationship. The time we spent with the nurses only reiterated how vital and essential their work is and how essential acknowledging their key role in healing for all patients is. Words cannot express our gratitude. Health care professionals, especially our nurses, are heroes. They are true Soulgardeners of humanity.

Last but not least, Kevin, Vanny, and Subi ran to Dunkin’ Donuts for some tasty treats for our nurses. Everything was a big hit! Jadan’s nurse put on her earrings and was delighted with her pen.

Jadan’s treatment started at 9:15 am and finished a little past 1 pm. Everything went well.

As we approached the final chemo med infusion, Jadan’s ‘robot shot’ was attached to his abdomen. This device will administer the medication to boost his white blood cells 27 hours after the cisplatin. And yes, this is the last time he will have this done. Yay!!!!

When Jadan’s port was flushed, there was slight nausea, but overall, it was okay. As the nurse removed the Huber needle, she asked, “Wanna ring the bell?” His reply was, “Oh, yes, I want to ring the bell.”

We have been waiting for this for 12 weeks.

Enjoy!!!!

Day 4 of Last Week: Thursday, October 2, 2025: “ONE MORE DAY!!!!”

03 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by lanikamal in Jadan's Cancer Journey Tags: , , , , , ,

Jadan has made it to the second-to-last day of chemotherapy. Today was the first day we noticed the flip calendar on the counter. Funny how we don’t notice things and then see them as something new. After helping Amanda change the date, he received his words of encouragement and was welcomed to his chair. Even with the excitement of being so close to the end of treatment, he struggled with nausea.

Once again, we were grateful for our very attentive and caring nurse who helped Jadan avoid feeling sick during the Huber needle placement and flushing. Jadan’s vitals are always checked first thing, which was great.

The next task is to visit the blanket oven for a warm blanket to snuggle with. One of the side effects of treatment has been shakiness. Having a blanket on the shoulders or lap helps.

FUN FACT: I checked to see if our little soulgardener was still watching over us, and he was! So cool! He has been there since our first week of treatment. I didn’t expect the little guy to stay there the whole time. It’s very cool that he’s still here!

Overall, today was better than the first few days of treatment. Jadan still experienced off-and-on nausea, but was able to go mindfully still which helped keep getting sick at bay.

We had a visit from Jadan’s doctor toward the end of the day. We learned that he will have another CT scan in about a month. This will be a baseline scan that will help us as we move further into navigating his cancer. Keep in mind that Jadan’s tumor was mixed, 80% treatable with this therapy and 20% only treatable with surgery. What we don’t and still don’t know is the type of cancer that spread to his lymph nodes. The baseline could give us more information on that, but may not. The doctor said it takes time to see the results of chemotherapy. We were relieved to learn his scan will be sooner rather than later.

Mobi welcomed Jadan home. He waited patiently while Jadan was in treatment. All the animals seem to know when he doesn’t feel well. They surround him with snuggles, which is perfect comfort as he prepares for the last day of chemotherapy.

Art for Day 4: Inspired by patience in times of difficulty

“When calamity striketh, be ye patient and composed. However afflictive your sufferings may be, stay ye undisturbed, and with perfect confidence in the abounding grace of God, brave ye the tempest of tribulations and fiery ordeals.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá