a note from Aruba

Hi everyone, this is Aruba! (Mommy said that I could write on her blog)

Thank you all for thinking about me & praying for me, I sure appreciate it!  It has been a rough summer for me... I miss Buddy so much, and I can tell that Mommy & Sal do too.  He was my canine pal, and I sometimes still look around the house for him.  And then a few weeks after Buddy left us, I was diagnosed with cancer.  It seemed almost too much sadness for Mommy to bear.

But, I have GREAT news to share!  I'm feeling good, energetic.  And I'm eating well (Mommy is always filling my bowl and is constantly after me to eat).  She even adds "toppings" to my doggie food--- like Greek yogurt, pumpkin, and vegetable broth.  She says it's healthy, but I say it's yummy!  Woof!

And I've been on chemotherapy for 2 weeks now... I'm tolerating it well, with no side effects!  I can tell this makes Mommy & Sal so very happy!  Mommy said it's an incredible medicine that will make me better.  I had a check-up at the doggie oncologist today and she agreed that I'm doing great!  My blood cell count is fine.  She's gradually increasing my chemo dosage; Mommy said the cancer I have is aggressive and the chemo will fight this bad disease and keep me healthy.

I'm so glad that I have such wonderful doctors and medicines, and doggie parents who make me feel so loved!

On the way home from the hospital today, Mommy and I went to Sonic.  Woof!  Buddy used to tell me about how he went on exciting "Sonic sidetrips" on the way home from the cancer clinic.  Now it's my turn....

Love,

Aruba 🐾

first day of chemo

Hi everyone....

Aruba had a big day today... but seems it was a good day!  :-)

The surgeon removed her sutures and said she is healing really well from the surgery!  Yay!

Right afterwards, we went down the hall of the hospital for her to meet with the oncologist and begin chemotherapy.  With how aggressive her tumor was, we wanted to begin ASAP.  She had her first dose this afternoon, and as of 9:45 tonight, so far so good!  No reactions!  She is brave & strong, like Buddy was!

We're hopeful that she'll tolerate this drug (Palladia) well, as it's a cutting-edge chemo treatment; it specifically targets her particular type of cancer cells!  It's the best available.  Only the best for our precious Aruba !!!

Thanks so much for your continued concern + prayers for her!

Hoping to share more good news again soon.....

23 years!

Today is our 23rd wedding anniversary.

With so much sadness in our hearts at the moment... losing our dear Buddy recently and now with Aruba terminally ill... we're just not in a celebratory mood, to be honest.

No big plans.  Just enjoying time together today, as a family... life is so uncertain.

Happy anniversary Sal, I love you!

a punch in the heart

Hello everyone...

It has been nothing but bad news here on Where In The World? this summer.  Sorry.  I truly wish it could be different.  Really not sure where all the bad karma is coming from? 

Some good news is that Aruba is recovering well from her surgery and that the entire tumor seems to have been removed successfully.  :-)

I'm deeply sad to share tho that Aruba's biopsy revealed that her tumor was a Grade 3.  Highly aggressive.  The worst Grade.  Just so incredibly devastating!  Many tears have been shed here.  This news was like a punch in the heart!  Except that my heart was already broken from losing our precious Buddy just weeks ago.....

After thorough discussions with her surgeon and oncologist, the best option appears to be for her to begin chemo next week, literally as soon as her sutures are removed (the surgical wound must heal thoroughly before treatment can begin).  With a tumor this aggressive, her doctor is certain that malignant cells have already spread (but where?), are circulating in her body, and will gain a foothold if not eradicated by treatment.  Without chemo, Aruba has only a 25% chance of living another year.  {horrible}  I am overwhelmed!  But like for Buddy, I will not focus on statistics when helping Aruba.  Buddy was given 1.5 years to live when beginning chemo, but he lived an amazing 4.5 years !!  The power of love, perhaps? (see my previous post)

Aruba's chemo drug will be Palladia, a relatively new drug designed by Pfizer's animal health division specifically to target this type of cells in dogs--- the cells in the tumor that Aruba had!  Even more amazing is that it has been FDA-approved (this is a very major step for any drug, human or canine).

We're so hoping that our treasured Aruba will tolerate this drug well and can fight the cancer.  Like for Buddy, she'll be getting the best medical care available, she'll have every comfort.... with love, hugs and kisses galore!  And a trip to Sonic with Mommy on the way home from every hospital visit.

the power of love

Our sweet Aruba is home from the hospital and recovering well from the surgery, resting.  We couldn't be happier!!!  Thank you all for thinking of us during this difficult couple of weeks, especially so soon after losing our precious Buddy.  It has been unbelievable, really....

Wanted to share a few pics from our visits with her while she was in the ICU.  (Excuse any blurriness--- Aruba is so difficult to photograph, she will almost never look at the camera or be still)

My first visit was alone; Sal had to tend to final exam duties this week, so I was with Aruba during the day, then we all visited together later at night.  As soon as Aruba caught a glimpse of me, she started howling and crying!  This went on, loudly at times, for 15 minutes or so.  It startled me (!!!), I thought maybe she was in pain, but the nurse assured me there was no way, she had just come off a pain med I.V.  She said it was because Aruba was excited to see me, she was 'talking' to me!!  {warmed my heart}

Before my visit, Aruba had made no attempt to walk around, or even stand up.  The medical staff was concerned... until they saw Aruba become so animated with me, wiggling in my lap and then standing and walking all around!  The nurse said, "...and right there is the power of love...".

We visited in the hospital's 'family room', a cozy space with a sofa and doors leading to a patio to enjoy some sunshine + fresh air with your furry patient.  When Aruba stood up, she immediately walked right to the patio doors, felt the warm sun on her face!  Just like home....

On my drive home from the hospital, I was stopped at a light when this car pulled up in the lane next to me.... I smiled big at the bumper sticker--- what timing, right?!

Aruba was just as energetic + alert during our nighttime visit, and even ate 1/2 can of food with us!  We somehow managed to snap a group selfie... even Aruba is smiling!

When we brought her home, there was a sweet get-well card in the mail for Aruba + a gift for Mommy (it's a magnet)... such a thoughtful gesture from Ruth, Paul, Gina & Dana (Sal's brother + family in Philadelphia):

Aruba is now enjoying every comfort while she recuperates, like lounging this morning... sweet angel:

She's taking lot of meds for a little while.  Monday will be a bandage change + probably getting biopsy results (we're hopeful they'll show that the cancer hasn't spread).  In about a week, the bandage will come off + sutures removed.

So wonderful to be re-united with our dear Aruba!