Good News!!

So I wrote last week about my dog Mighty and that we believed he had cancer. We spent a few days discussing our options and had decided we would look into chemo for him after we did some research and found that dogs tolerate it much better with often better outcomes than people do (strange isn't it). Anyway, I had been giving him antibiotics since the lump appeared, even though we were told this was not an infection. My husband had made an appointment with the vet for today to discuss the plan. I have been away this weekend and when I got home last night he told me to look at Mighty. The lump was almost gone!! Hubby had continued the antibiotics through the weekend. So we took him to the vet today and explained what I had done and they did a second biopsy. She said that while we aren't out of the woods yet, this is good news!! There is a possibility that this is just an infection. She gave us 3 weeks of antibiotics and we will see her again in 2 weeks to check things out again. I am thrilled that there is a possibility this could turn out to be good! Thanks for any positive thoughts sent our way!!

Sadness

So some of you may have read my post a few weeks back about my dog Mighty; he is one of the three dachshunds who let us live with them. Last night we noticed Mighty has a lump on his neck, I had a pretty good idea what it was, he was not showing any signs of pain...but I was hoping it was just an infection. We took him to the vet this morning and they did a biopsy...it's cancer. :( He has been through so much already it's just heartbreaking for us to go through this with him. We had to put our boy Chance down the week after Thanksgiving last year and I just can't make that decision again. They told us there is really nothing that can be done and that he has 1-5 months. He seems ok right now. I just hope he lives out his life peaceful and happy and goes to sleep some night and wakes up on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge where his "brother" is waiting.

A Sad Week

This week has brought the loss of a dear family friend who has lost his several year long battle with cancer. In times like these there are no words to express the sadness that we feel, yet the relief that finally his suffering has ended...he will be missed.

Beads of Courage

Beads of Courage is an amazing organization for children with serious illnesses. Beads are given to the children throughout the course of their treatment for certain milestones etc (check out their website for more info!) http://www.beadsofcourage.net/


I have posted before about my collection of beads that I have been saving for them and tonight I finally got them packaged up and almost ready to go. I don't know why I keep hesitating to send them, I keep thinking, in a few more days I could add some more...


I add to the pile each time I torch, sometimes one or two, sometimes everything I make in one session is specifically for them because I feel it is a great program. I have lost friends and loved ones to cancer as I'm sure many of you have; it's part of the reason I became a nurse...to try and help in whatever way I can. I believe that there are times when even a tiny amount of encouragement or hope can be all a person needs to help them get through the next treatment, the rest of the day....the rest of the week....


I counted them up tonight and there are over 300 beads in the picture below, some are big and some are small, but each one was made with caring and love; and I even added a piece of courage to each of them!


Please check out their website to see the ways that everyone can help this great organization!


Just for reference, the surface covered in this pic is over 3 ft square.