“I have no idea where the last week has gone.”
Why it's great
A quiet line that captures how illness erases time until whole days simply vanish.
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Neutral
Use it yourself
I have no idea where the weekend has gone.
00:00 / 03:50
00:00 / 03:50
Andy's Bad Reaction to Chemo, Explained
Be Here Now · 2015
Chapter 10 of 27 · 3'50"
Andy describes losing his mind after a bad reaction to a cancer drug: days of talking himself off a roof and a bleak depression. Vashti remembers him unable to talk properly and lashing out, and the doctor calls it an unheard-of reaction, so they switch back to the old chemo. Then a raw phone call home.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:02–0:46
Andy Describes Losing His Mind
44s - 2:16–2:26
❝ Monologue · 4 lines Vashti's plea for time
Four short sentences build from refusal to a single plea, quiet and devastating.
9s - 3:21–3:49
Sometimes You Just Need Your Mum
28s
Andy's Bad Reaction to Chemo, explained
What happens
Andy recounts an extreme reaction to one of his cancer drugs: he lost his mind, spent days talking himself off a roof, and sank into a bleak depression he couldn't see past. Vashti remembers him unable to hold a conversation, angry and saying strange things. The doctor calls it unheard-of and unpredictable, so they return to the old chemo mix. Vashti breaks down on the phone to her mother.
What's really going on
The scene is the aftermath of something the family couldn't prepare for. Andy's reaction to a drug was so severe that he says he "literally lost my mind" and spent days "talking myself off a roof" — a confession delivered calmly, which is what makes it land. Vashti gives the other side, describing a man she didn't recognize: unable to talk properly, angry, saying strange things. What neither of them does is pretend it was their fault; the doctor names it an unknown reaction with no way to foresee it. The phone call to Vashti's mother is where the composure breaks. She admits she feels like a "crap wife and a horrible mum," then names the thing she really wants: "I need some time to take it all in." The scene's honesty is its point — nobody performs strength here, and needing your mum is treated as normal, not weak.
Key lines & what they mean
- “I have no idea where the last week has gone.”
- A quiet marker of how much the treatment has scrambled his sense of time. Days vanish, and he can't account for them.
- “I just want more fucking time.”
- The fear beneath everything: not death exactly, but the shortage of time. It's blunt and unpolished because it's said in the middle of breaking down.
- “I need some time to take it all in.”
- The same plea in calmer words: she isn't asking for a cure, just enough space to absorb what's happening.
- “Sometimes you just need your mum.”
- The scene's simplest line and its emotional landing: after all the medical talk and fear, the answer is family.
Theme
- Death & grief — Andy and Vashti describe the terror of a mind lost to a drug and the fear of running out of time.
- Family love — Vashti longs for her mother, and Andy relies on family support to get through treatment.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
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Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“I just want more fucking time.”
Why it's great
It strips the plea down to one raw want, and the swear makes it feel unguarded.
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Informal
Use it yourself
I just want more time to think it over.
“I need some time to take it all in.”
Why it's great
It names the one thing shock actually demands: time before you can absorb it.
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Neutral
Use it yourself
I need some time to take in the news.
“Sometimes you just need your mum.”
Why it's great
The plainest sentence here, and the one that admits how little anyone can cope alone.
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Neutral
Use it yourself
Sometimes you just need a familiar voice.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Vashti's plea for time
No, I don't want that. I don't, I never say, "Why is this happening?" I just want more fucking time. I need some time to take it all in.
Four short sentences build from refusal to a single plea, quiet and devastating.
Up next · 11make a differenceThe scene: Andy's Mum Comes to HelpTakeaways
What you walk away with- Illness can erase whole days from memory.
- Vashti refuses self-pity and asks only for time.
- A swear can carry more honesty than a calm sentence.
- Family care is measured in pressure taken off someone.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhat happened to Andy after the drug reaction?
He says the reaction made him lose his mind for three or four days, including moments of talking himself off a roof, and then plunged him into a deep depression.
Why does the doctor stop the treatment?
The reaction was unknown and could not have been foreseen, so it isn't safe to repeat. The team returns to the previous chemotherapy mixture instead.
Why is Vashti so upset in this scene?
She's been holding the family together while Andy was not himself, and the strain shows. She admits feeling like a bad wife and mother, and confesses she just needs more time.
What does 'lost my mind' mean here?
It's an idiom for going out of your mind, losing control of your thoughts. Andy uses it literally — a drug reaction left him in a state where he couldn't think or behave normally.