Our sweet Olive was the first addition to our family. For six and a half wonderful years, she shared her sass and her love with us. She wasn’t afraid to use her big voice to talk back, but she also loved cuddling up with a blanket and getting ear rubs. She made us smile every single day.
Suddenly, on one May morning, Olive was very sick. The x-rays showed a large mass in her abdomen, and our vet did an incredible job getting her through a very scary and risky surgery to remove the mass and her spleen. A short while later, she was diagnosed with splenic hemangiosarcoma and given only a few months.
Getting that terminal diagnosis was heartbreaking. She was only seven. How could we lose her so soon? She should have had so much more time. We were devastated. But even though it felt like an impossible decision, we decided on her last day to make sure she wouldn’t have to suffer.
In the few weeks that followed her diagnosis, we closed on our first house and gave Olive the backyard we always wanted for her. Somehow we were lucky enough to get a fence installed immediately after moving in so she could safely run around and chase squirrels. In her last week, we stayed home with Olive every day so she could enjoy her backyard, and even though the forecast said it was going to be a rainy week, the rain held off. I think the universe knew that we needed to be outside for her. We grilled her a burger, we gave her some of our favorite chocolates and lots of french fries, and thankfully she was still feeling okay on her last day.
Olive passed at home with us in June. We miss our baby girl every day.
We’re walking to support families affected by cancer. Although we chose not to do chemotherapy, we were so touched by the support offered to us by Czar’s Promise. We want to make sure that families can be comforted the way we were and supported when it’s needed the most.
We’re walking for Olive and hoping that one day we’ll have a cure. No human or animal should ever have to experience cancer.
Our Members
Kelsey HoltQuincy Oliver
Joshua Forest
If you'd like to join this team, register for the 2025 Inspiring Hope Walk event today!
