My time @ the Massey Cancer Center has ended (for this year)

 

Today marked my last scheduled appointment of the year.

It was a relatively simple visit—just a scope and a conversation about how to manage follow-up care once I'm back in Japan.

It's surreal to think that by tomorrow morning, as the sun rises, I’ll be boarding a plane and heading home.

As I prepare to leave, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the people who have lifted me up through all of this.

The birthday and get-well cards I received this year outnumber any other year by far—each one a reminder that I wasn’t going through this alone.

I’ve had friends travel from Arizona, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina—just to check in, catch up, and remind me what normal feels like.

I was generously loaned a pickup truck for months with no strings attached—just a quiet “I’m happy to help.”

During treatment, food and flowers showed up at my hotel from Norfolk with simple, beautiful reminders that I was loved.

Family and friends stayed with me in Richmond, supporting me while treatment took its toll—sometimes even whisking me away for a break when I needed it most.

There were slow hikes around Belle Isle when my body could manage it.

There was a home-cooked meal in Norfolk, shared with a childhood friend, and quality time that meant the world.

And there were lunches and dinners across Richmond, Williamsburg, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Norfolk—each one a small piece of light in a difficult journey.

I truly don’t know how I would’ve made it through all of this without friends. Friends helped carry me. Friends made it bearable. And I’ll never forget that.