There are Angels
For those who know us well, you know that we had a very sick cat for the last two weeks. He is now on a strict regimented treatment and his health is improving. I have not updated my blog due to this mini crisis and because emotionally we were low and trying to focus on getting him better. Nevermind the circumstances surrounding why he got sick, that is another story. I wanted for a while now, to share a story about his visit to the animal clinic and why the experience we went through solidifies my belief that the universe works in mysterious ways.
If you are religiuos, I suppose you might say I'm speaking of angels. And if you are a logical scientific thinker you may say I'm speaking of energy. And if you are an atheist, you may say we encountered a bout of luck and a kind soul. It all makes sense to me, from any angle.
When we arrived to the animal emergency clinic Maris had not eaten for days and his energy was very strange and low. We were very worried as his health has always been well and he is young. Like a human ER, everything is fast paced, high stress, and worst case scenerio. But it was a Sunday, our regular vet was closed. The Dr. led us into a room, and without the drawn out story, I'll tell you the bottom line. She took his blood work and told us, emphatically, that with this information but without the technology to confirm it, our cat most likely had liver cancer and a tumor with a low survival rate.
The emotion that consumes your body when you receive unexpectedly terrible news creates an unstable body, and knocks the life out of you. I could not breathe and cannot even begin to describe in this blog post my devastation. How could this be? Is all I thought. How could we have missed it?
Over the next several hours I was told in so many ways that $1000 later our cat could stay overnight for supportive care, based on the idea that he most likely has cancer. And then he could go to another vet in the morning, who they would refer to us, to receive an ultrasound to confirm the tumor.
How do you make these decisions based on limited information, and at this point high blood pressure through the roof? I had been crying, sobbing in front of these people. I trusted their judgement, and yet, did he really need to stay overnight if they weren't quite sure? It was a haze of confusion.
They decided, while I was making up my mind, to give him some vitamins and fluids. This would take about 1/2 hour. I sat on the bench, staring at a wall. And that's when the woman approached.
I had seen the woman earlier, as she brought her dog in. She was unique because her speech pattern was slow, careful, and with intent. She seemed unusual, but not in a negative sense. There was something about her. She came and sat next to me. She handed me a tissue.
"What is your kitty here for?"
"He's not eating. They think he has cancer. They want me to leave him overnight. But I don't know what to do."
Pause.
"Sometimes we need to go home."
I looked at her.
"Sometimes its good to go home, eat dinner, relax and think about your options."
"Ya." I said crying.
She sat with me for about fifteen minutes. And I can't explain it but her presence was calming and I could feel her warmth. I felt she was sitting with me and my thoughts and she could feel my angst. Breathing with me through it. She looked at me a smiled one last time and then the nurse came back and brought her her dog. She told me God Bless and she was gone.
It was a difficult decision, but we took Maris home that night. I couldn't stop thinking about that woman. I didn't want to have false hope. But what was it about that woman?
The next morning we found out the ER clinic had jumped the gun. There was no tumor. And there was no cancer. Additionally they withheld information. They did not tell us that a competing ER clinic could take Maris in at any time to confirm a tumor as they are the only clinic in the city that has an ultrasound on hand and are open 24 hours.
I can't stop thinking about that woman. That angel.
If you are religiuos, I suppose you might say I'm speaking of angels. And if you are a logical scientific thinker you may say I'm speaking of energy. And if you are an atheist, you may say we encountered a bout of luck and a kind soul. It all makes sense to me, from any angle.
When we arrived to the animal emergency clinic Maris had not eaten for days and his energy was very strange and low. We were very worried as his health has always been well and he is young. Like a human ER, everything is fast paced, high stress, and worst case scenerio. But it was a Sunday, our regular vet was closed. The Dr. led us into a room, and without the drawn out story, I'll tell you the bottom line. She took his blood work and told us, emphatically, that with this information but without the technology to confirm it, our cat most likely had liver cancer and a tumor with a low survival rate.
The emotion that consumes your body when you receive unexpectedly terrible news creates an unstable body, and knocks the life out of you. I could not breathe and cannot even begin to describe in this blog post my devastation. How could this be? Is all I thought. How could we have missed it?
Over the next several hours I was told in so many ways that $1000 later our cat could stay overnight for supportive care, based on the idea that he most likely has cancer. And then he could go to another vet in the morning, who they would refer to us, to receive an ultrasound to confirm the tumor.
How do you make these decisions based on limited information, and at this point high blood pressure through the roof? I had been crying, sobbing in front of these people. I trusted their judgement, and yet, did he really need to stay overnight if they weren't quite sure? It was a haze of confusion.
They decided, while I was making up my mind, to give him some vitamins and fluids. This would take about 1/2 hour. I sat on the bench, staring at a wall. And that's when the woman approached.
I had seen the woman earlier, as she brought her dog in. She was unique because her speech pattern was slow, careful, and with intent. She seemed unusual, but not in a negative sense. There was something about her. She came and sat next to me. She handed me a tissue.
"What is your kitty here for?"
"He's not eating. They think he has cancer. They want me to leave him overnight. But I don't know what to do."
Pause.
"Sometimes we need to go home."
I looked at her.
"Sometimes its good to go home, eat dinner, relax and think about your options."
"Ya." I said crying.
She sat with me for about fifteen minutes. And I can't explain it but her presence was calming and I could feel her warmth. I felt she was sitting with me and my thoughts and she could feel my angst. Breathing with me through it. She looked at me a smiled one last time and then the nurse came back and brought her her dog. She told me God Bless and she was gone.
It was a difficult decision, but we took Maris home that night. I couldn't stop thinking about that woman. I didn't want to have false hope. But what was it about that woman?
The next morning we found out the ER clinic had jumped the gun. There was no tumor. And there was no cancer. Additionally they withheld information. They did not tell us that a competing ER clinic could take Maris in at any time to confirm a tumor as they are the only clinic in the city that has an ultrasound on hand and are open 24 hours.
I can't stop thinking about that woman. That angel.
Comments