Hi, my name’s Thunder. I am a long hair miniature dachshund and I am a cancer survivor since October, 2008, when I was diagnosed with lymphoma, just a month after my third birthday. Some present, huh? I will never be cured, but I am getting treatment and am currently in remission. This is not my story. This is the story of two of my brothers.The first is Butch. I met him when I was very young. He was not. He showed me a lot of great stuff that my human’s c
ouldn’t. Butch came to live with me when one of his parents had to move to an Assisted Living Facility and the other to a Hospice facility. Butch was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma in his throat, a day after I was diagnosed with my lymphoma. He had a difficult time; first with eating, then afterwards drinking. He stood bravely when his prognosis was poor. He went to the Rainbow Bridge to be with his real dad. I’m sure they missed each other. I miss him every day. He was my big buddy. I used to drive him nuts.
I’d now like to introduce you to my next big brother, Laddie. My parents were looking to adopt another before Butch and I were diagnosed and had Laddie lined up. He was looking for a new home because his dad passed away. I found out that not many people want senior dogs. I don’t know why, they’ve been great to me. Laddie used to pull me into his thick coat to keep me warm when I was not feeling well. Chemotherapy takes a lot out of you. Sadly, I was too sick myself to recognize that he was also not feeling well. My parents thought something was not quite right though. Treatment was started, but it was too far progressed. I only got to know him for 7 weeks as he too crossed the rainbow bridge 3 weeks after being diagnosed with cancer of the spleen. I miss him every day, too.
My treatments continue to this day and I hope that my good days continue to outnumber my not so good day. Oh yeah, since my mom is a breast cancer survivor, I wear a Breast Cancer awareness collar to support her.
Posts
5 comments:
Wow, that's a lot of cancer. You two stand together and fight together. Thanks for sharing your stories. I hope you have many more days together that are happy and fun.
As an update, Thunder is still doing well. He was having a bit a breathing difficulty about 2 months ago. We were concerned about his heart, based on an x-ray. An ultrasound showed it was really just fat. So, he's been on a diet and has lost about .5 pound and is running around and playing much more. He does beg for treats a but more though. He'll be 6 in Sept. and cross the 3 year survivor mark.
Yesterday Thunder celbrated his 6th birthday and he is in his 36th month as a lymphoma survivor.
It's been a year since this blog was posted and Thunder, I am happy to report, is doing just fine.
I am happy to see that Thunder is doing so well. My long-haired miniature dachshund, Jenkz, was diagnosed with lymphoma just days after his
3rd birthday. He is currently undergoing chemo and is going through his last cycle. Despite a few side effects, Jenkz is otherwise doing great. I would greatly appreciate it if you could give me any advice or tips through your experiences with Thunder. My email is jeanettenix@comcast.net
Post a Comment