Dear friends,
Sophie and I have received a modest bequest of $100 from the Mosby Foundation! A volunteer named Sharon has been working on our application for some time. She wrote this afternoon that the foundation wishes they could have given more, but that they are overwhelmed with requests for animals in need. They want to give as many small gifts to as many families as possible in order to offer some help to everyone.
Of course I wrote back to tell Sharon that $100 is not at all insignificant - if it were, then we never would have gotten as far as we have with help from YOU, Sophie's fan club! We are grateful for gifts of any size, from kind words and hugs to eleventy billion dollars in cash :)
A quick update on chemo from last Wednesday's visit: Looking good! Sophie had some diarrhea after her dose of elspar, but we had some metronidazole on hand which took care of that. One of our roommate's mothers was in town this weekend, and Sophie loves cuddly company! Add to that the gorgeous weather in NYC, and it turned out to be a beautiful weekend.
I am working on a blog entry now about how Sophie's illness has affected my life as a runner—for those of you who do not know, I have been running in races for about a year and a half. It's an activity that is fraught with routines and planning, both of which are subject to disruptions in one's personal life. I don't want it to become a trite metaphor, but I do want to share my experiences, so stay tuned!
Much love and belly rubs,
Jenny & Sophie
Monday, November 15, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Great Chemo Visit This Week
Good morning friends,
I am happy to report that Sophie is doing well after yesterday's chemo visit. The medication she had yesterday is called vincristine (there is a rotation of 3 medications). It has become our routine for me to monitor her closely for 24 to 48 hours following chemo, but this week I am being particularly vigilant.
The last time Sophie took vincristine, her side effects were quite severe. What began with some nausea and lethargy became serious vomiting and bloody diarrhea within two days. I wound up rushing her back to the hospital, where I learned that her white blood cells were very low as a result of the vincristine. She stayed overnight in the ICU to receive fluids, stabilize her white blood cells and receive strong antibiotics to guard against infection. She recovered very well, but of course I had been dreading her next dose of the "v." That one overnight hospital stay depleted our grant by over a thousand dollars.
The oncology team at New York Veterinary Specialists reassured me that they would lower Sophie's next vincristine dose and administer strong anti-nausea medication, and it worked - here I am this morning with a happy healthy pup with a great appetite, and up to her usual antics. So far, so good!
Sophie has now received at least one dose of each of the medications in the chemo rotation, which means that the results going forward should be reasonably predictable. That is exactly the kind of peace of mind that this hyper-planner needs right now!
I am happy to report that Sophie is doing well after yesterday's chemo visit. The medication she had yesterday is called vincristine (there is a rotation of 3 medications). It has become our routine for me to monitor her closely for 24 to 48 hours following chemo, but this week I am being particularly vigilant.
The last time Sophie took vincristine, her side effects were quite severe. What began with some nausea and lethargy became serious vomiting and bloody diarrhea within two days. I wound up rushing her back to the hospital, where I learned that her white blood cells were very low as a result of the vincristine. She stayed overnight in the ICU to receive fluids, stabilize her white blood cells and receive strong antibiotics to guard against infection. She recovered very well, but of course I had been dreading her next dose of the "v." That one overnight hospital stay depleted our grant by over a thousand dollars.
The oncology team at New York Veterinary Specialists reassured me that they would lower Sophie's next vincristine dose and administer strong anti-nausea medication, and it worked - here I am this morning with a happy healthy pup with a great appetite, and up to her usual antics. So far, so good!
Sophie has now received at least one dose of each of the medications in the chemo rotation, which means that the results going forward should be reasonably predictable. That is exactly the kind of peace of mind that this hyper-planner needs right now!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
New Contributions and Great News!
Okay guys, as of sharing the link to our ChipIn page on Facebook this morning, Sophie and I have received a whopping $160 from four contributors! That's enough to sustain us for two weeks of car rides and copays! I won't list the contributors' names here in case they wish to remain anonymous, but they know who they are and I have thanked them individually. I am most grateful for your contributions.
For anyone who might be wondering, contributions to this page are deposited directly into my dedicated account for Sophie via Paypal. As much as I'd like to use the funds for my own therapy sessions and the occasional pint of Ben & Jerry's, rest assured that your donations are being used appropriately.
In other fundraising news, Sophie and I have been awarded another grant! Pit Bull Rescue Central has graciously donated $250 to Sophie's bill. That's enough to cover about half of the cost of one weekly treatment, which is huge!
Sophie's at NYCVS this morning receiving chemotherapy (and lots of love from her new buddies there). This news, and your contributions, have cast a ray of sunshine on this day.
xoxox
Jenny & Sophie
For anyone who might be wondering, contributions to this page are deposited directly into my dedicated account for Sophie via Paypal. As much as I'd like to use the funds for my own therapy sessions and the occasional pint of Ben & Jerry's, rest assured that your donations are being used appropriately.
In other fundraising news, Sophie and I have been awarded another grant! Pit Bull Rescue Central has graciously donated $250 to Sophie's bill. That's enough to cover about half of the cost of one weekly treatment, which is huge!
Sophie's at NYCVS this morning receiving chemotherapy (and lots of love from her new buddies there). This news, and your contributions, have cast a ray of sunshine on this day.
xoxox
Jenny & Sophie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)