The Home Edit's Clea Shearer Says She Was in 'Agony' After 4th Round of Chemo for Breast Cancer

The Netflix star and professional organizer was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in March

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Published on July 5, 2022 07:39PM EDT

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfoqj-Yuk7I/?hl=en cleashearer Verified My mother took this photo of me receiving my 4th round of AC chemo last week. It struck me that I never realized my nurses are in full hazmat suits while they administer my toxic treatment. I’ve clearly been there each time, yet it never sunk in. When she sent me this picture, my reaction to the drugs finally made sense. I wanted my own hazmat suit… I didn’t want this in my body. Surely there was another way. There wasn’t. There isn’t. I spent the weekend in more agony than I hope anyone ever has to endure. My bones hurt, my skin hurt, it was hard to walk, hard to see, hard to eat. I couldn’t keep my eyes open, but I also couldn’t sleep. It was nothing short of a living hell with no escape. And then I woke up Monday feeling so much better I almost cried. I was out of the woods, turned a corner, was on the other side of the mountain - and every other euphemism you can find for being effing DONE with the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. It’s been 4 months since my diagnosis. I’ve had a bilateral mastectomy, a subsequent surgery, and endured the harshest chemo around. I still have another 4+ months to go (12 weeks of Taxol chemo and 5 weeks of radiation), but it all gets easier from here and I couldn’t be happier. I even spent the morning on the St Regis Rome website because literally why not…2023 is going to be my year. I say it all the time, but thanks for being with me on this journey. Some days when it feels impossible, it’s what gets me through. ♥️ Xo, Clea — Photo: cleashearer/Instagram

Clea Shearer is giving an update on her health four months after being diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer.

On Tuesday, the Home Edit co-founder and star of Netflix's Get Organized opened up about her experience after completing her fourth round of chemotherapy.

"My mother took this photo of me receiving my 4th round of AC chemo last week," she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of herself undergoing treatment. "It struck me that I never realized my nurses are in full hazmat suits while they administer my toxic treatment. I've clearly been there each time, yet it never sunk in."

The mother of two continued, "When she sent me this picture, my reaction to the drugs finally made sense. I wanted my own hazmat suit… I didn't want this in my body. Surely there was another way. There wasn't. There isn't."

After the treatment, Shearer said she was in "more agony than I hope anyone ever has to endure."

"My bones hurt, my skin hurt, it was hard to walk, hard to see, hard to eat," she shared. "I couldn't keep my eyes open, but I also couldn't sleep. It was nothing short of a living hell with no escape."

Shearer previously opened up to PEOPLE about receiving the chemotherapy drug Adriamycin. "The nickname for it is the 'red devil,' because it is so tough. The side effects are really severe. It's a really harsh chemo treatment," she explained last month. "It's also red as it goes in, the actual liquid. So it's ominous all the way around." After that she'll receive 12 weeks of a less harsh drug and then radiation.

On Instagram, the Netflix star said she was on the mend and woke up "feeling so much better" on Monday.

"I was out of the woods, turned a corner, was on the other side of the mountain - and every other euphemism you can find for being effing DONE with the worst thing I've ever experienced," she said.

"It's been 4 months since my diagnosis. I've had a bilateral mastectomy, a subsequent surgery, and endured the harshest chemo around," she continued. "I still have another 4+ months to go (12 weeks of Taxol chemo and 5 weeks of radiation), but it all gets easier from here and I couldn't be happier."

Shearer concluded the message on a hopeful note, explaining that she plans to travel next year.

"I even spent the morning on the St Regis Rome website because literally why not…2023 is going to be my year," she said.

She added, "I say it all the time, but thanks for being with me on this journey. Some days when it feels impossible, it's what gets me through."

Shearer's celebrity friends showed their support in the comments section, with jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer writing, "Warrior!! ❤️."

Hayley Hubbard shared, "Love the Rome planning and you deserve every bit of that! So proud of you Clea!" Comedian Heather McMahan wrote, "You are such a warrior and we're all rooting and praying for you!!! 🙌🙌."

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Shearer was diagnosed with invasive mammary carcinoma, an aggressive form of breast cancer, in March at age 40.

Following the diagnosis, she launched the Clea Shearer Breast Cancer Research Fund.

"I've been very adamant that I want my cancer to feel purposeful, to have an impact," she told PEOPLE exclusively. "I think that pushing through this moment and looking towards the future is the only way that I feel like I can truly make a difference. Research is such a critical component of breast cancer because it's how we know how it develops. It's how we find new diagnostic tools. It's how we discover groundbreaking new therapies."

Another goal of the fund is "to raise awareness about self detection, early detection, and making sure that women have access to screenings wherever they live and whenever they need them," said Shearer, who discovered two lumps during a routine self-exam in February. "It's what saved my life and whatever we can do collectively — and whatever I can do individually — to push that forward with every ounce of my being, I will do. This is a mission and a journey that I will be on forever and whatever little impact I can make, I want to make it."

The Clea Shearer Breast Cancer Fund is now accepting donations online.