Kaija's Cancer Ordeal
Fall 2001
Missy Harvey
harvey@andrew.cmu.edu
June 2002
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Kaija is the apple of our eye, as you can tell by the picture to the left. Her favorite thing to do is cozy up on the couch with mommy and daddy. Of course, we have to acknowledge that it's HER couch so we always have to make room! It's been quite an experience facing cancer with Kaija. But we were blessed with excellent doctors and lots of support from friends and students in my library science courses. After all, we have to keep up our tradition of bringing Kaija to Missy's classes once a month!
The Fall of 2001 we found another lump on Kaija's right front leg. A malignant tumor had been removed a year before and had now returned more aggressively. Our local vet recommended we seek out an orthopedic specialist at Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialists (a nearby vet hospital).
This hospital turned out to be a true God-send and only 10 minutes from our home. They only take referrals--no walk-ins. But after hours, they serve as an emergency facility. One month before we showed up, they had added a new vet, Dr. Payne, to their roster whose specialty is orthopedics and oncology. He previously taught at a vet school in Missouri, having written papers on the exact type of cancer Kaija has. He also co-teaches around the country with the head surgeon of the vet hospital showcased on the Animal Planet cable channel, Emergency Vets.
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Kaija is the apple of our eye, as you can tell by the picture to the left. Her favorite thing to do is cozy up on the couch with mommy and daddy. Of course, we have to acknowledge that it's HER couch so we always have to make room! It's been quite an experience facing cancer with Kaija. But we were blessed with excellent doctors and lots of support from friends and students in my library science courses. After all, we have to keep up our tradition of bringing Kaija to Missy's classes once a month!