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Side Effects Of Chemotherapy Essay

651 Words3 Pages

Everyone deserves to live life, unrestrained by ailments. Whether they are terminal or temporary, ailments affect much more than just the person they afflict. 1991 is a year that will be remembered in infamy for my family. In May of 1991, my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer. The news hit my family like a freight train, both spiritually and emotionally. The following months were hard, and by speculation I can imagine the pain they felt. My grandmother began going through chemotherapy, a process that bears a chilling connotation. In the following months, both my grandmother and family struggled under the circumstances that haunted them. Along with chemotherapy, my grandmother also underwent a mastectomy, which is a removal off all breast tissue as an attempt to remove the cancer. Through chemotherapy, she developed taste loss; unfortunately, her taste loss still persists to this day. Even though I was not alive to experience my grandmother’s struggle, I have directly experienced the side effects of her treatment, which impact me greatly. My grandmother can no longer taste anything but extremely spicy flavors. I try to imagine the disability in my own life, and it makes me cringe to imagine the feeling. Taste is a simple, natural, and often taken for granted sense that is all but …show more content…

Contrary to popular belief, chemotherapy is actually many different types of drugs, not just a single treatment from a central drug. The drugs that are now used do not only target cancer cells, but also all cells that divide regularly. I feel it is my calling to begin to research and develop a chemotherapy that is able to directly target malignant cancer cells and simultaneously not damage other frequently dividing cells of the human body. A chemo treatment that only targets cancer cells would cease many side effects such as hair loss, taste loss, and oral

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