THE INCREDIBLE MELLIE!
In January I posted the story HER PAINTED ROOM, where my cat Mellie was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, and aggressive form of cancer. She was given a 2-6 month window, with June being her last month of expected life. I’m happy to report we are in the middle of July, and Mellie is still patrolling the house like the vital being she is.
Yesterday Mellie had another mass removed. We’d felt it growing the past month and consulted with her doctor. Mellie had been acting healthy with no restrictions the entire year. Was this lump the sign of the end?
The bad news: Mellie, in all probability, still has cancer. When her January lump was removed, a small bit of the mass was present in the muscle and our veterinarian didn’t want to cut into that.
When the second lump was detected, we had to make a choice. An operation is a $1200 decision for an animal at the supposed end of her life. If the answer was “yes, proceed with the operation,” then tests would have to be taken to see if there was evidence of spread in her body.
If there was spread, then there would be no operation, and we’d be looking at 2-3 weeks before we’d have to put her down. That was the reality our family faced last week, and it was more difficult considering we’d put down our dear 17-year-old cat Jadey last month.
Mellie passed her X-Ray, ultrasound, and blood tests—nothing was detected. She came home last night and is recovering well. She climbs, hobbles and runs as best she can. And she rests. Her body needs this time to get her wound healed so she can be at full speed again.
How long does Mellie have? If you ask her, it’s forever. For us, we know she’s playing with house money. Every day after June 2016 is a day she wasn’t expected to see.
She loves her life. She is tiny, soft, very healthy-looking and always happy for company, strangers and friends alike. She loves having her face touched, and never tires of human play and companionship. She is fortunate to have many people praying for her and wishing her the best. Beating the odds—that’s the incredible story of Mellie.
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Recovering from the day’s surgery.
Ara Hagopian's The Literate Show 