08/19/2024
Hello Everyone,
*long read* may delete/alter later.
Jacqui here. I’m posting for a few reasons.
First and foremost Dr. Magee gave me carte blanche to post some pics of the motherland because obviously you MUST see it! Kwa-Zulu Natal (my birth province) is not a place that US tourists typically visit, but in my opinion it’s the MOST beautiful (next to Cape Town “maybe”) My parents live in Howick a short drive to the Drakensberg mountains. As kids we would come to the Carhedral Peak Hotel every winter June/July. We are back here now and it’s every bit as beautiful as I remember it.
I haven’t mentioned this to many because talking about it is tough, but…
Secondly, to be open and raw and honest about my reasons for being here because I see some parallels with the decisions that we make for our own health vs those we make for our pets.
My mother has been battling breast cancer for over 10 years now. She came through it once, was considered in “remission” for a short time but it’s back and metastatic, and in her brain. It’s easy for us to blame ourselves and/or our health professionals for this type of diagnosis. You question, what could I have done differently? It’s the responsibility of our vets and human doctors to give us our options. As Dr. Magee always does! At least 3 maybe 4 options. She likes to talk 😂 but is amazing to spend the time to make sure that you/we understand our options. It’s our responsibility as pet parents or the decision maker for our own health to make a choice. It’s never easy. What’s right for one person/pet might not be right for the next. My mom chose to fight! She’s a tough lady and went through rounds of radiation to her brain to kill as much of the cancer as possible.
Is she the same one month later? No.
Will she be? Maybe.
Would she have had the same longevity and QOL without the radiation? Probably not, but who knows.
I’m just very grateful to be here with her and that she can still “enjoy” spending time with me. I’m also grateful to the medical professionals who have been fighting alongside her behind the scenes. In a nutshell we know ourselves/our pets best and we have to be at peace with the decisions we make for our/their health.