We Are The Cure Blog | Canine Cancer Information

I happened to be the person who gets all the “Ask the Doctor” questions.  I then pass them onto our researchers and doctors to answer them.  I cannot tell you how heartbreaking it is to read some of those questions.   I can feel people’s heart ache and desperation of trying to find something that might save their dog that is dying of cancer.  Just from reading those emails I can see you holding your dog, loving them and crying hoping that something will save them.  I know this because I have done it so many times myself.

I find that with the past three dogs that Sara and I have lost in the past three years that there is that time when you look at them and they look at you and you know it is time.  And that is when you just break down in tears, you hug your dog for dear life and you just pray please God don’t take my beautiful dog.  Please help me find a way.

Just today I had someone call me about a memorial card they got and they were fine until they mentioned their dog’s name and they just cried.  Another time, I got a call from a person who had sent a question to me about their sick dog and later on he sent, not one but, a few donations in honor of his dog that was fighting cancer.  Then one day, I got a call from him.  He simply said “I wanted to call to let you know my dog passed away today”.   I was so touched that he took to time to call me and let me know.  We both cried.

I thought about sharing some of the questions ask, in this blog, but thought, no I don’t want to make everyone who reads this feel bad.  Instead I want to try and give you hope.   Hope that we will have new cures and treatments.  For example, if you get a chance to listen to our podcast interview with Dr. Michael Kent.  You will hear some very exciting news about Canine Lymphoma.  And if you get a chance to read the article on our site entitled “The Road from Hope to Despair” by Dr. Jamie Modiano you will see the things are truly moving forward in canine cancer research. There is also the hope that some dogs are living years with cancer and beating all odds.

I know that a lot of what you will hear and read will not help your dogs right now but in the next five years, I believe you will see more and more dogs being saved from cancer.  Sometimes, I say to myself, so what in five years, I want my Bailey, Ashby and Duncan back.  They were too young.  It is just not fair.

And it isn’t fair.  But it also isn’t fair for me to give up or any of us to give up.  It isn’t fair to all the dogs that will get cancer.

And that is why Sara and I and all of us at the National Canine Cancer Foundation continue to do what we do.  In memory of our dogs and all of your dogs who have lost the battle against cancer and for all the dogs that will get cancer.

Gary

Tags: Canine Cancer, Dogs, fighting cancer, hope, medical, Veterinarian science

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 at 5:57 pm and is filed under Cancer Research, Canine Cancer, Dogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.