Chemo Round 35

While I was waltzing down memory lane with my "Two Years Ago Today" series, life -- and chemo -- continued on in real time. It's time to catch you up on all of it. I'm pretty sure that this round of chemo and the week that followed was one of the wildest, busiest, and most fun ever. I kicked off the day just as I have over the last several rounds -- with a solid workout at the gym. I hit the showers, got myself all ready to rock, and donned a brand new (but already my favorite) t-shirt: a shirt signed by one of my favorite singers of all time, k.d. lang. My friend Maggie hooked up the shirt signage and I was -- and am -- super psyched for the surprise gift. The message on the shirt reads: "hey gloria, kick that c's ass! love, k.d. lang." Awesome. The actual chemo infusion was pretty low-key: hugs and laughs with Lenz, hanging out with some of my favorite nurses, and gobbling up my FOLFIRI + Avastin like a good little warrior. But life started moving fast after I left Norris. I got home and started packing, knowing that I was heading to Santa Barbara on Tuesday. This wasn't a last minute decision, although the trip had crept up on me. Months ago, my cousin (Angelica) and I agreed to go see Fiona Apple together when she came through town and, back then, I thought I'd be on my way to the East Coast when she was in L.A. Undaunted by my travel plans, we opted for the concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl, a gorgeous venue and only an hour and a half from home. I didn't realize that it would be a chemo week when I bought the tickets, but I figured I'd roll the dice and just go no matter what. So that's what I did. We took off on Tuesday night, rolling into town and our modest hotel room around midnight-ish. Ever vigilant about my rest (I know it's hard to believe with my schedule but I do get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night), I slept on the drive up and fell asleep as soon as we got in our room. I woke up the next morning, knowing that Chemo Wednesdays could be rough and also knowing that I had a conference call at noon. Fortunately, though, as has been the case over the last several rounds, I felt pretty damn good. Maybe a little dehydrated but that was about it, and that was quickly remedied with some water, herbal tea, and coconut water. After my call, we headed over to the Sojourner Cafe for a delicious vegan lunch and, after that, I took a little afternoon nap. By the time night fell, I was under the stars and feeling incredible as I sang along with my girl Fiona. She put on a great show, so earnestly singing her heart out that it was impossible not to feel moved by the sheer emotion and beauty of it all. You know I tear up at concerts, and this one was no different. Sigh. Fiona Apple. So good. Thursday morning came quickly, and we were on the road quickly, too. I had a party to DJ, after all. O'Melveny recently launched a competition (although they try to assure me that it isn't a competition, I can read between the lines) to see what floor can throw the best party. Obviously, I was going to make sure that my floor -- the 13th floor -- makes the strongest showing of them all. We had been planning our "Can You Dig It? 70s Dance Party" for weeks, and I hightailed it home to make sure everything went as planned. It did. It was an epic party. As an aside, it was at this point, while DJing a party decked out in an afro wig, a giant brown fur coat, and huge sunglasses that I realized that all the elements of my life, taken together, are unique, hilarious, and slightly hard to believe. But this is the life I've created for myself, it's all real, and I love it. On Friday, I was back in the office dressed normally. And by Saturday, I was on a yacht in Newport Beach, celebrating The WunderGlo Foundation's 1 year anniversary (and celebrating my own 2 year cancer anniversary). Living large on a boat never felt so good. In sum, it was a busy, fun, and fantastic week. I hardly felt the effects of chemo this time around, and I bounced back to "normal" by Wednesday night -- a new record for me. I think it's safe to say that chemo no longer slows me down, a revelation that pleases me to no end. I am deeply grateful, humbled by my body's resilience, and ever-determined to continue living my life to the fullest and helping as many people as possible while doing it. And if you think my Round 35 chemo week sounds action-packed, just wait until you hear about what I was up to last week.