jan schill photography :blog:

tammy had her first chemotherapy treatment on septmeber 16th.  the night before was rough-she had to stay in the hospital, but she showed up bright-eyed & ready to fight!  she truly looked amazing!  she was so brave!  she had her bright pink boxing gloves ready with philippians 4:13 written on them-”i can do all things through Chirst who strengthens me!”

upon arriving, the first nurses station that we came upon quickly gave tammy a little tiara, perfect for such a princess in battle!  everyone gets their chemo in the “infusion suite”.  it is a big, bright room with lots of windows, big hospital chairs, medical machines, and a fish tank.  there are blankets & neck pillows on a wall to help make the patients more comfortable, and there’s a snack room stocked full of goodies that’s open to everyone.  if everyone there weren’t so darn sick it might seem a little more like camp!

the nurses are wonderful!  they are just the kind of patient, loving women that you would want to be surrounded by when you’re going through this-and being pumped full of toxins.  and thankfully they not only allowed, but welcomed my presence & gear.  they walked tammy through each detail of what her time there would be like for the next eight chemo treatments.  then, they found the spot where her port was placed so that she wouldn’t have to be stuck each time she had a procedure, and just like that…BAM she was getting her chemo!  different medical personnel buzzed around, checked-in, & dropped off information for her.  tammy  was so kind & thoughtful, it was as if she weren’t the one having treatment & facing being very sick for next the week.

after a little rest, the time came for her to try on wigs.  justin helped grab a few options & told her that she was so cute in just about everything-such a sweet hubby!  her thick hair made it hard to see what might be preferable, but she walked away with one wig and some really cute head-scarves that are very cute on her! 

tammy said she wanted to hear “eye of the tiger” in her head and knock this thing out…justin is an amazing coach & water guy… the spot that she chose her first week ws closest to the men’s bathroom…tammy truly does everything with a smile on her face… i think i tried not to cry more than she did…i just put my camera up to my face & started shooting something, anything every time i felt a little rush of emotion for her.  she was so brave!