I think of chemotherapy as a weapon of mass destruction in the body, some sense. Yes, it can save a life faced with cancer, but it comes at a high price, taking a huge toll on the body.
The first time our family walked into the chemotherapy room, we didn’t really know what to expect. And mom’s optimism was tested with this treatment - that first session, she had a bad reaction to one drug, and it shook us all. And the aftermath of chemo was a tough, painful journey.
‘I don’t remember the pain,’ Mom said, ‘I just remember that it healed me.’
I wanted a way to understand what these drugs were, and asked Dr Lana Saciragic to explain them as if they were people; to personify them. She did a memorable job of describing what these drugs are, and how they act in the body.