Maintenance? Not a lot of people are familiar with what maintenance is. It’s the longest stage of treatment for leukemia that comes after several months of intense chemotherapy. Every month you go in to clinic for a check-up, and some months you have a spinal tap. There are a lot of pills too. Here’s the catch though, if you have a fever you have to go to the ER to get checked for an infection.
For me, maintenance is bittersweet. You have a month of freedom uninterrupted by doctors’ appointments or hospital visits (if you’re lucky). When that month ends, it feels as if it went by so fast, and then reality comes back to remind you you’re not done with treatment yet.
This account is part of the Childhood Cancer Stories series on Chicago Now to view more stories go to Chicago Now