365 Things To Smile About Day 10. Another First Since Chemo

You would think that at almost two years since chemo I would have run out of "firsts since chemo". Not so much!  Today's "first" took a while coming because it involves being back in Virginia!  

For years, when I lived out here, I drove from the Shenandoah Valley to Chantilly and back for work every day. It became a distance I really didn't notice after a while but in fact it was anywhere from 45 to 60 miles one way depending on where I was living. The past few times I've been out here, I simply did not have the energy to drive it. I had to rely on rides from friends to get to Front Royal and often had to rest after getting there.   It was beyond frustrating.  Well, I still had to rest after getting here today but...I drove that route by myself and made it!!!  

Some might say, "Whats the big deal?"  driving has always been a struggle for me since I was a teenager. Finding doctors who understood my eye condition and feeling trusted when practicing driving was no small thing. When I became a daily commuter I thought nobody could take this ability I had fought for for years away from me now. I had proven myself. Then cancer and chemo came along. And driving became impossible. More than 30 minutes of driving after chemo finished made my body and eyes so tired I couldn't see strait and I would start to shake. And that was with no traffic to focus on!!  Only this past spring, over a year out of treatment, have I been able to drive the two hours from my house to my parent's house. And I'm generally pretty tired when I get there...but not shaking. 

Today I feel like I have taken one more step back into the life I remember. The life where I was so independent and didn't have to rest all the time. Maybe I'll never get completely back to that life. But today I DROVE MYSELF back to my mountains that I love so much for the first time since chemo!!  That's something to smile about! :)