BOSTON -- I’m done. I cannot believe it. Nine months after my diagnosis, I have finally finished active treatment. I still have to go every three weeks for an infusion of the drug Herceptin and take a Tamoxifen pill every day, but the hard part is over. I did it.

Radiation was tougher for me than I anticipated. I felt like Bill Murray in the movie “Groundhog Day.” Every day I got up early, barely kissed my kids goodbye and headed into Dana Farber for my 7:30 a.m. appointment. Then I went to work and headed back home around 6. The days were long and the time with the family too short.

This part of treatment was certainly difficult on my husband and little girls. I know the change in routine affected Madeline (3 ½) and even Cecilia who’s 15 months. Brendan stepped up to the plate doing the breakfast, dressing and out-the-door routine with the girls. He’s used to being an early-to-work kind of guy. Brendan did a great job adjusting and only put a few dresses on backwards! Halfway through the treatment he looked at me and said, “This really isn’t working for me.” I wanted to club him over the head, but I knew what he meant. It wasn’t really working for any of us.

I have been feeling tired and don’t know whether it’s the radiation itself or the stress of getting to a hospital everyday for six weeks. The radiation did not hurt though I did get a nasty radiation burn on my chest. It’s itchy and red, but I'm hoping it will go away soon.

I cannot say enough about the people who treated me in the radiation department at Dana Farber. They were kind and supportive and understood how difficult this treatment can be for patients. On day two I started to tear up, so frustrated that cancer and this treatment had taken over my life. Joan, a radiation therapist who has been at DFCI for decades, simply gave me a hug. I will never forget it.

There is also camaraderie among radiation patients. We are the ladies in blue Johnny’s sitting nervously together when we first meet. Over the days and weeks we became friends exchanging cancer survival tips. I was humbled by the stories of women facing much greater challenges than my own. We all celebrated as each one of us “graduated” back to our normal lives.

Madeline, my 3 ½ year old, became my unexpected companion on this leg of the journey. She really hated my leaving every morning at 6:45 and asked if she could come with me. I packed up a parent’s best friend (the portable DVD player) and off we went. Madeline hung out with the blue robe ladies in the waiting area and watched “Go, Diego, Go” while mom got treatment. By the end she was coming about twice a week. I’m grateful to Mary Beth, Katie, Lynne, Jean and others who watched over and entertained my little girl.

On Thursday, September 20, we went as a family to Dana Farber for the final radiation. I have been lucky to have so much support during this process. It was wonderful to have my great husband Brendan and my beautiful girls with me as I emotionally celebrated the end of treatment. Brendan put it well. We are limping to the finish line, but we did indeed get there.

I have struggled so much with the word survivor this year. I joke you are a survivor the moment you get through hearing “you have cancer” without having a heart attack. But the reality is this year I felt more like a patient than a survivor. Now I finally feel like I survived something. I survived treatment. I survived the biggest challenge I never expected to face. And now I really, really, really want to live.