I had pictured the end of my treatments to be less taxing and go smoother than the trauma of surgery and the challenge of chemo. But that was not to be. Thankfully, I thought, radiation sessions will not take 4 1/2 hours like surgery or drag on for 5 hours like each chemo infusion. Instead, radiation would take only eight minutes.

If I were to label cancer surgery as a sprint, then chemo, Covid 19 and the bitter cold of a New England during winter make it a marathon. I prepared as best I could but I found out you can’t train for treatment like you can for the Olympics. There are similarities but too many surprises.

Lately I’ve been thinking of the scene in the movie “Star Trek: The Voyage Home” when McCoy accuses local doctors of using Medievalism as they prepare to drill into Chekov’s skull. Instead, McCoy applies a small piece of equipment to his crew member’s forehead and, voila, he’s cured. In the theater I remember thinking, “Yea, I want that!”

I wasn’t going to post this picture of my bald head but then changed my mind. Hair loss is a reality of chemo. And it’s my experience right now. At first, I didn’t want to scare people. Then I realized that’s the power of cancer - it scares people. It scared me. Isn’t it time for a new perspective?

Five things you can do to support people you know in treatment for cancer.

If you see them, don't run away - they are not contagious. And it will make them feel less lonely.