Calvin's Crew
On the night of February 17th, 2018, we got news that rocked our world, broke our hearts and changed our lives forever. What we thought was a tooth infection turned out to be Lymphoma. At just 4 years old, our sweet Calvin was diagnosed with Lymphoma - an aggressive cancer. There were no local specialists in our area so we took a recommendation to see a vet in Madison to get all of our questions answered and options for treatment. We met with Dr. Shiu at VES - he confirmed the scary diagnosis and walked us through all of our options. We chose a chemo plan that required us to travel to Madison every other week. The hope was not to cure the cancer but to buy him quality time with us - we dreamed of getting one last summer with Cal. After the third treatment Calvin's health started declining - weight loss, lack of appetite, vomiting...It had been too long after the 3rd treatment for it to be side effects of chemo. The oncology team in Madison wanted to see him for testing to make sure the cancer wasn't back or that it had spread elsewhere. Calvin never made it to that appointment. After 51 days battling Stage 3, B-cell Lymphoma and just 4 short years of life, our Calvin crossed the Rainbow Bridge. He fought hard. We all fought hard. There's still a piece of our hearts missing because he wasn't "just a dog". He was our dog. Our baby. Our protector. Our door greeter. Our kitchen clean-up master. Our slobber king. Our big white dog who always found mud puddles to roll in. Our 75-pound lap dog who didn’t understand personal space and was always sure to paw you for attention. Oh those paws. Forever would not have been long enough with him. Grief is the price we pay for loving so hard. And we loved him so hard.
The canine cancer journey is SO difficult - so many unknowns, lack of education/knowledge, lack of advancements in veterinary medicine, etc. As I laid with Calvin while he took his last breaths, I promised him I would do what I could to honor him by educating and supporting others about Lymphoma and its treatments.
Czar's promise is close to our hearts for a few reasons - Dr. Shui supports and is part of this organization and he was Calvin's oncologist AND Czar was a big, white, fluffy Great Pyr who reminds me so much of Calvin (who was part Great Pyrenees).
We walk in honor of Calvin to raise money for cancer research. Please help us reach our goal and if you can't give a moentary donation - educate and support others. #NotTodayCancer
