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Maureen Kozicki: Chemotherapy isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience

Maureen Kozicki/LinkedIn

Jan 29, 2025, 10:06

Maureen Kozicki: Chemotherapy isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience

Maureen Kozicki, Inspirational keynote speaker at Maureen Speaks, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“When I first started treatment, I had no idea how many different chemotherapy drugs existed.

People shared stories about loved ones who walked to their chemo appointments, worked afterward, went to the gym, and seemingly never missed a beat. I thought, “If they can do it, I can too.”

But ovarian cancer chemotherapy is a different beast.

The treatments I endured were some of the harshest. Each session lasted seven hours, with two chemo drugs drip, drip, dripping slowly into my port. In addition to the chemo agents, steroids and other medications were included to prevent allergic reactions.

The toll on my body was immediate and overwhelming. After my first treatment, I could barely move. And the effects weren’t just immediate – they were cumulative. Each round left me feeling worse. My neutrophils (an important type of white blood cell) were decimated.

I had assumed that losing my hair would be the hardest part, but I was so wrong.

What I’ve learned is that chemotherapy isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience.

Different cancers require different treatments – some mild, others incredibly intense. My 91-year-old father had chemo for stage 1 bladder cancer, where the chemo drug was flushed directly into and then out of his bladder. He breezed through it. But that was his experience.

The point is, unless you truly understand someone’s treatment, it’s best not to form opinions. Chemo agents vary widely, and so do individual responses.

For a long time, I felt like a failure because I didn’t “breeze through” my treatments. That shame came from misconceptions about what was truly possible and how I thought I was “supposed” to feel.

Today, I’m proud of my body for enduring the unimaginable.

I share my story to encourage others to offer support without judgment or expectations.

And if you’re going through treatment, know this: your experience is uniquely yours. There’s no right or wrong way to get through. There’s no failure in you.”