Fight Cancer

Yesterday was all about Fuck Cancer. Today is all about the FIGHT. And believe me when I say this kid is up to giving cancer the fight of his life. 

A quick note to all of you that left love, light, words of kindness and advice on our Instagram and Facebook accounts – we read every message and loved every single word. So much support this community gives, and we are eternally grateful. 

Before I tell you how Ivan has completely done a 180º in the last week, allow me to remind you of Miah’s story. Talk about a girl who wanted to fight! When Miah fell on black ice and was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus, the vet revealed the fatal prognosis of months – if that. Here is her story, and how I turned to a vet in the southern-tier to help treat my little girl. Her 3 months to live turned into 3.5 years of beautiful memories we never would have had without a second opinion. 

So after I heard the heartbreaking and deafening news two weeks ago that Ivan had a 10cm tumor, which also was apparently leaking fluid (ruptured mass) that would be fatal, I did the exact same thing: I called Cindy. Within two days, Ivan and I were sitting in her office in Colden, NY. 

I believe vehemently that alternative medicine has its place, and I would have been remiss not to at least get her advice before resigning Ivan to death by cancer. One look at him and she could see the struggle, but when I repeated the prognosis of  mere weeks, she scoffed. Off to work she went with her needles, and after only 10 minutes, Ivan’s breathing became less spasmodic, his pulse regulated, and his deep purple tongue (evidence of blood stagnation) mellowed in color. She talked all of the toxic build up in his liver, what she felt could have inspired a mass to begin forming, and how we are not going to settle for grim, but we are going to look at this from a curative standpoint. 

Ivan and I walked out of there with a fresh lens and an energetic step, something I had not seen from him in weeks. 

Not only did he leave the acupuncture treatment far better than when he walked in, but the herbal supplements and homeopathy has him experiencing a similar boost in life as did Miah; his appetite has flourished, he now runs around with his toys, his interest in the every day and our excursions around Medina are met with excitement that is reminiscent of his healthy self months ago. 

In addition to the herbs and acupuncture, Ivan is now on a ketogenic diet of sorts. He is allowed as much protein as he wants, though it was advised that I stick to beef and turkey. The kid has turned his nose up to all beef, so we have cleaned out the local grocery stores of ANYTHING natural turkey. We’ve got turkey hot dogs, turkey burgers, turkey kielbasa, and he is on his second FULL TURKEY. My mother has been sweet and has been cooking them at her place, and then we carve and feed from there. Last night was my first time boiling down a whole bird, and let me tell you – Ivan sat next to me in the kitchen the entire time, waiting patiently as I picked every last bone out of the pot. I also simmered asparagus and green beens for him in the broth, which are both cooling veggies and will help immensely. He must love turkey like I love avocados. My boy, my beautiful boy. 

We add in a little pumpkin puree and he has a Thanksgiving dinner for just about every meal. As it turns out, commercial dog food is loaded with corn and wheat, both of which are cancer feeders. He can’t have any sugar and carbohydrate, and just the change in diet has him happier than ever. Pricey, maybe. But my dog’s affect on my life? Priceless. 

We are almost two weeks removed from diagnosis. In this short two weeks, Ivan is back to being full of life and vitality. And though I am grateful for the ultrasound and the conventional vets for providing this diagnosis, I am beyond grateful to Cindy for allowing a new prognosis. 

But most importantly: we are living intentionally, deliberately. Thoreau would be so proud of us. The chaos of our normal jobs and the Shirt Factory has been met with a new perspective, and we are prioritizing our life as a family of 3. Tim McGraw sang about living like you are dying – but man, we’re doing it. Every lick, every wag of his tail, every smile on his face has a new meaning for me. I find joy in his antics, his stubborn streak to dig his heels in and plant his feet when I turn him back toward the car to signal the end of our walk. If he wants to keep walking? We keep walking. 

Last night Scott and I sat with our plates on our laps, watching smutty Bachelorette together on our mattress on the living room floor. To the naked eye, the scene was pathetic. But as I rested my head on Scott’s shoulder with Ivan curled up on our legs, I felt the most complete and satisfied that I have felt in months – maybe longer. And I lost track of what was happening on the screen and just relished in the scene in front of my eyes. My boys, my life. 

So if you see us out and about and wandering the streets of Medina walking this amazing boy (although, the best kept secret for dog walking and contemplative reflection is Boxwood Cemetery) make sure to beep or say hello. Here’s hoping he has the energy and the will to keep on walking for quite some time.