Hearts Full of Gratitude

We were stunned this weekend to learn how much money Blueberry's auction raised.  It exceeded any amount that we could have guessed.  We owe a huge debt of gratitude to JD and Max, Frankie Furter, Barbara, the Slimmer Pugs, Ronii and Richie who made the badges, everyone who donated prizes for the auction and bid on things, and to everyone who helped share the word about the auction.  There are more people and dogs to thank than I can even begin to list, so if I forgot to list something that someone did, please know that it was not unappreciated.  I am just in a state of being overwhelmed right now.

Many people have asked us about how Blueberry is doing and what will happen next.  Blueberry is doing remarkably well right now.  She's even grown a nice patch of hair back where she was bald just in time for the nasty winter weather we've just gotten.  Facing her mortality has motivated me to include her in more of our outings and activities, too, which she is happy about.  I daresay, she might even be taking advantage of us a little.  She has a rather long Christmas list.

What will happen next is still up in the air a bit.  I consulted Dr. Cuoto, a really wonderful vet at OSU who specializes in Greyhounds with cancer.  He told me he was willing to consult with my vet.  The head vet at the practice we use is a wonderful man who knows a lot about Greyhounds.  However, he has another, younger vet in his practice who I, frankly, have much less confidence in.  I'll just say that I feel her people skills are lacking and she is not helpful at all in helping you to devise a plan of attack in the face of a serious illness or problem.  I'd get the same reaction from her whether I said we thought we'd just do nothing at this point or if I said I thought we should remove Blueberry's entire head to be sure we'd taken care of the problem.  She seems to understand science and biology well enough, but humanity is a somewhat foriegn concept to her.  She's kind to the dogs and they like her, but well, I'd like to feel like there's some sort of understanding from her. 

One option we are considering is just taking Blueberry to OSU for them to see her there.  I had hoped that we'd be able to deal with things through our vet's office, but I can't wait around for them to get things together forever.  As we know more about what our plan of attack will be, we will share it.  

I hope that if nothing else comes out of this, we will at least be able to someday help someone else feel less alone with decisions like we are facing.  I never realized how heavy the burden of a cancer diagnosis is.  There are so many things I felt like I needed to know and also the pressure of needing to make a decision quickly.  In fact, one of the best pieces of advice that I got was not to rush the decision and to take time to weigh the options.  The desire to make things better is almost overwhelming sometimes.  I have been really thankful to those who have shared with us that they went through the same kind of cancer with their dogs and what they've learned along the way.   One day, I will be the person sharing what I've learned, and it will be a lot of information.

Again, I cannot say enough how much we have appreciated everyone's support, in all the various ways that it has come to us.  We will always be thankful for all that everyone here has done for us.  Blueberry has always been a one of a kind girl, but we had no idea that she was as special to so many people besides us.  Thank you from all of us!