That's right. I did it!
Well I did the tough bit, the year of drugs, invasive check ups and sickly side effects. I have taken 6 tablets a day for roughly 365 days, an oral chemotherapy drug in its later stages of research, with one aim; to prevent my melanoma coming back.
I took my last tablets on Christmas Eve in Somerset, surrounded by my boyfriend's family, with a huge clap and big smiles as Mark announces the news that I am about to finish the drug. As they clapped some knew the struggle I've had on the trial drug, others asked what I'd been taking and what happens next.
So what does happen next? Now I continue to hope that nothing returns, that my life will slowly resume to something similar to what it was before my diagnosis. Truth is, my life will never be the same, I am now about to endure 12 months without the drug and the hope that this really is it.
At this point, my life is richer, more precious and I for one can't actually believe I've made it this far in one piece. I've been incredibly well looked after and have no reason not to be positive. I write this to remind me, as the excitement of Christmas fades, there's a slight sense of unease and uncertainly trying to return.
I have slept for the last two days in an attempt to refill the half empty tank I've been running on since I began the drug In Jan; I am already planning how I will take on 2015 and what changes I plan to make. It is exciting, if a little nervewracking, but I've figured if I can do this, I can do anything, which is exactly what I intend to do.