Afterwards, Karen did not heal as expected, and was left with a lot of discomfort and pain, even though she always told Robyn that her treatment was a “walk in the park” in comparison. She then had to undergo radiation.
Meanwhile, Robyn first underwent chemotherapy, then surgery and then radiation.
Although Robyn was diagnosed first and treated before her mother, their radiation regimens were done in quick succession.
“Radiation is where we could, I would say, really share experiences and the difficulty of it, and the pain and sadness that comes with an appointment every day,” Robyn said.
Robyn had to undergo 19 days of radiation, and her mother about 15 days, with a small break between when Robyn finished and Karen started. She mentions that while they felt sorry for the experience, it was more than that.
“I was able to say, ‘Hey, here’s my saline bottle and here’s the rest of my medical grade cream, so use that and this is what I did, here’s how it’s going to hurt,’” Robyn said. “There was that, if you can give it, almost like a relay. It was like, now it’s your turn.”
Robyn was able to share with her mother her experience of getting through the days, feeling no impact one day and the consequences the next. She says they had to put small tattoos on their bodies to separate the area, and she was able to share that with Karen as well.
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