Thursday, March 26, 2009

On hope

On Tuesday an agility training buddy of ours lost her beloved 8-year-old Cocker Spaniel Becky to lymphoma. Deb lost Becky's sister, 11-year-old Brittany, to the same disease last year.
Becky lived almost a year after her diagnosis. Deb (and Gus) were tireless in their care of her. Becky had chemotherapy and radiation, ups and downs. Her sister Brittany had the same devoted care.
I don't know if I would have had the intestinal fortitude to endure their last 18 months. The ups and downs, good days and bad. Constantly monitoring, fearing the worst, hoping for the best. The stress on their emotions, their lives, their relationships must have been phenomenal.
I asked Deb once why she kept trying, putting herself and their family through the treatment. And she told me that as long as Becky's good days outnumbered her bad, and she tolerated the chemo treatments well, as long as there was hope, she'd keep trying.
That's a powerful testament to the love our dogs bring into our lives. I don't know if I would have made the same decisions Deb did, but she made them for all the right reasons. And I hope I'm never put to the test.
Bookmark and Share

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry for your friend's losses,especially losing two the same way. Our pets need our courage sometimes. I am happy that Deb and Gus's dogs had Deb and Gus to share their "good days" with.