The sky is big and blue with gauzy clouds, and the hillsides populated with strange shapes of cacti and spiky grasses. This is the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near the border between Arizona and Mexico. I was struck by the harsh alien beauty. We camped three nights there, hiked, attended ranger talks at night, and learned lots about the cacti. The night was quiet and dark because of the distance from towns. Every campsite was bordered by its own large cactus.

At the end of our stay, I realized that I hadn’t thought about multiple myeloma at all. For all of my fellow cancer patients, you know what a gift that is. The lesson for me was a change of scenery is a powerful healing tool.

In January, we traveled around Arizona for two weeks, camping, hiking, and sightseeing. The main attraction for my husband was the Arizona Mineral and Gem show. This event is the biggest of its kind in the world. Mark’s passion is minerals and how to create beauty with Earth’s treasures.

My goal was different. I wanted to take a recess from my multiple myeloma treatment. I had negotiated an extra week off the Darzalex (daratumumab), Velcade (bortezomib) and dexamethasone (Decadron) treatment regimen. Since September of last year, I have been going twice a week to the local cancer center for treatment. The disease is always right in front of me.

When we travel in our sweet pop-up camper, exploring new country, we do not think or talk about my cancer as much. It’s truly the break that refreshes. That was the first gift of the desert.

The Sonoran Desert is known for its harsh climate and strange, almost alien landscape. I am used to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with snow-capped mountains and huge forests of evergreens. In the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the large cacti appeared otherworldly to me. Organ pipe cacti have large, spindly arms that attach at the bottom to the desert floor. The image is either a desert octopus for some, or organ pipes for others. They are huge, some over 8 or 9 feet tall. Yet the cacti are vulnerable to freezing, so this area in Southern Arizona, with its dry, hot heat, is the perfect climate for them to flourish.

Besides the organ pipe cacti, there is a diverse collection of other cacti, including the huge, tree-like saguaro. It was fun looking at all of them and trying to identify the species. Both the saguaro and the organ pipe have a green skin that covers a woody skeleton, a hidden strength. The woody structure is used for firewood and even shade buildings. I used the cactus as a metaphor for myself. Sure, I appear more frail, changed by multiple myeloma, but I am still tough and resilient. You may not see my strength, just like I couldn’t see the hidden, woody supports of the giant green saguaro.

We also traveled to the high desert of the Navajo tribal lands. There, in Monument Valley, is where many of the iconic westerns, especially those by John Ford, were filmed. The cliffs are deep shades of red, formed by the tectonic uplift of the Colorado Plateau after the Dinosaur Age. Crafted by time, wind, and water, the buttes have become gigantic monoliths that stand in a relatively barren landscape. This is Navajo land, and development has been limited to the edges of the tribal park.

For a fee, you can drive a 17-mile loop to circle around the towering buttes, such as Totem Pole, Mitten Buttes, or John Ford point. At times, the landscape is overwhelming, and words are inadequate to capture its beauty. During that hour-long ride, I was able to stay in the present, with no thoughts of the past or the future. I experienced a familiar bubble of joy; the bubble of being grateful to be alive. Gratitude was another gift of the desert.

The images of the Sonoran Desert and the red sandstone Monument Valley have stayed with me. I returned to treatment this week, and the first day was five hours long. Yet I slowed my breathing, closed my eyes, and revisited the sights of the desert.

I am grateful that this treatment regimen allowed me to experience the desert.