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.