Wednesday, June 25, 2008

A Sad Anniversary




^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^JACK^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Today marks the one year anniversary of the passing of my friend and fellow red sibe, Jack.

Jack was no ordinary Siberian. He was 100 lbs of pure love with crystal clear blue eyes that allowed you to glimpse in to his soul. He was a mythical Sibe with extraordinary powers. His Human Mother Beth shared a very special bond with Jack. He was her world.

In July of 05, his mother received the devastating news, Jack had cancer. It was a form of anal gland cancer that was very aggressive. With chemo and radiation, Jack was given only 4-6 months to live. Jack's Human mother felt as if the world was crashing in. She wasn't ready to say goodbye to Jack. Yet with the recommended treatment of chemo and radiation, Jacks remaining days would not be good days.

That's when she discovered Dr Marty Goldstein. Jack had surgery to remove the growth but was treated holistically by Dr Goldstein. Although Jack never met Dr Marty, he managed Jack's care from afar. Jack was put on Artemisinin and other supplements to boost his immune system and switched to a homemade diet.

After 6 months, Jack was not only still alive but was doing REALLY well. His story was featured in the "Whole Dog Journal". He was famous. He was acting his normal playful self and going to the dog park with his pack mates every day. His HuMom realizing how amazing this all was never took one moment with Jack for granted. In her heart, she felt she had this cancer beat. We were all truly amazed and thought it was a miracle. We really thought Jack would live forever.

Just before his second anniversary of the diagnosis, Jack fell ill again. He stopped eating and had a hard time walking. The cancer was back and Jack was fading. His Human mother didn't want to give up the fight, but eventually Jack told her it was time for him to go so she helped him to the bridge. It was a very sad time for all of us but especially Jack's Human mother. My Human mother was worried about her.

But Jack and his human mother Beth taught us so much about love and beating the odds. Jack wasn’t supposed to live past four months. But he knew his HuMan Mother needed more time to adjust to a life without him. Not only did he live almost two years, but those years were good healthy years and that’s what counts.

Manly sibe hugs to you Jack at the bridge. You really were a super star.



Simcha

11 comments:

The Army of Four said...

We're really sorry for your loss. Jack looked and sounded like a wonderful guy!
Tail wags,
Storms

Steve, Kat, & Wilbur said...

Jack sounds like a wonderful husky. He's super cute too! I'm glad he got an extra two years to love his mommy!

Kat

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

Oh yes -

All of what my furiends have woo'ed and so much more -

What a handsome fella!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

The Army of Four said...

Hey Simcha! We'd love to add you as a Trooper in the Ao4! Would Kiley like to join up, too?
Send us an email so we can send you the code for the cool animated gif for your side bar! Our secret address is SibeTracker the at symbol Yahoo dot com. I think you know what I mean. :) Take out the spaces where you need to.
Tail wags,
Storms

Unknown said...

SIMCHA - wonderful Blog!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful blog Simmie. Us redheads really got it going on.

-Sierra (not a sibe, but a redhead just the same)

Soft woos for Jack. My own mom was also so very sad for Jack & Beth.

Anonymous said...

Great blog Simcha, and a very nice tribute for your friend Jack.

Hope you don't mind a couple of Mals posting, we're more like your sister Kiley

Cinnabar & Sebastian

Tooka and Keeta said...

Simmie, nice to find a place
where we can talk and plan special things for our feeders. I am Tookla, your redheaded west coast
twin Sibe. My "girlfriend Molly,
the Malamute" is Kiley's twin. We
do things in very much the same way. Your HuMom gave me this special name.
We miss Jack, we loved listening to all the fun things he did and what a brave dog he was. We will miss him also. Molly and I will
give a special howl for him tonight.

The Daily Echo said...

Awww. Jack looked like such a cool friend. We're sorry that he's gone. Maybe we'll all be able to meet him at the Bridge one day.
ECHO

Anonymous said...

Simmie-Sim,

I LOVE your blog! I'm going to add this to my favorites and start each day with your picture.

Hugs and kisses,
Auntie Terri
xoxoxox

Anonymous said...

Hey Simmie!
It's so cool that you have your own blog. Wish our HuMom would make one for us but she always talks about being busy for some reason. Hope you'll let Molly join in sometime. I know she hogs everything around your house but she may be nice to you if you share. Can't wait for the weather to cool off so we can start hiking again!
Your Virginia Mal buddies,
Kodiak & Wookiee