One Year!

Merlin here!  Today is a very special day.  A day we never thought would happen.  One year ago today, on February 4, 2016, I was diagnosed with large cell lymphoma of the GI tract and spleen.  I was given one to three months to live.  Here I am a year later, defying all the odds and still going strong!

Just over a year ago (February 3rd), I was at the vet, being evaluated by the internal medicine service at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) Small Animal Clinic.  I had been having loose stools and some blood and mucus in my stool, and occasionally vomiting some bile, so our primary care vet thought I had inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).  I was at OVC in order to confirm this diagnosis so I could be properly treated.

Merlin in the waiting room at the OVC Small Animal Clinic

They started with an abdominal ultrasound.  It showed that there was something wrong with my spleen, and that my lymph nodes throughout my abdomen were enlarged.  They tested my coagulation (since the spleen is important in blood coagulation), and then I was booked in for biopsies of the spleen and lymph nodes, to (or so we thought at the time), rule out cancer.  We all expected that I would be back at OVC the next day to have an endoscopy to confirm IBD.  I was in great physical shape, and other than the problems with my stool, that seemed to flare up when I was under stress, I was in perfect health!

Merlin after the biopsy - his skin is scabbed from the rubbing of the anaesthesia mask

They were able to get very good biopsies of both my lymph nodes and my spleen.  They sent the samples out to pathology to be tested.  The samples were good, they were clear, they were easily tested, and the results were very clear.  The pathology report was unequivocal.

So later that day on February 4th, 2016, we received the devastating news that I had an aggressive form of cancer:  large cell lymphoma of the spleen and GI tract.  I was given 1-3 months to live.  Chemo would only extend that by maybe a month.  Needless to say, we were all incredibly devastated.   My dad, who is my human, was overseas at the time, and we were very glad that he was going to be coming home for a couple of weeks leave very soon, before heading back overseas.  We thought that we were going to be saying goodbye.

Now here I am a year later, and I am still doing great!  Even my stool issues have cleared right up.  I only vomit if I eat too much cat grass.  While we certainly don't want to jinx it, it looks like I am currently in remission, something that is very common with small cell lymphoma, but is quite rare with large cell lymphoma.  I am very glad to be uncommon!  I am currently on prednisolone, but no other chemo.  I am still a solid Sphynx, with lots of muscle.  I still love to eat, I love to play, and I am enjoying life to the fullest.  We don't know how much longer I have, but we are enjoying every day.

Thank you all for your support, for your purrs, prayers, positive thoughts, and friendship.  It means so much to all of us that we have so many people caring about me.  Thank you my friends.

I honour of this very special anniversary, we are holding a comment-a-thon.  Every comment this post receives between now and 6 am on Monday February 6th, will lead to a donation of 50 cents to the OVC Pet Trust, which is working to find better therapies for pets and people!

Merlin's 9th Gotcha Day!

Hello everyone!  Merlin here!  Today is my 9th Gotcha Day!  It's a very special day, because back in February when I was diagnosed with large cell lymphoma and given 1-3 months to live, we could have never imagined I would be here to celebrate my Gotcha Day with my family and all my friends!

I joined my family on December 22nd, 2007, at about 14 weeks old.  Here are a couple of photos of my first day with my new family:

I was in a nice, large room, and Dragonheart and I were kept separate for the first few days.  As you can see, there was a door with a window in it between us, and Dragonheart was quite interested in who I was!

Now I'm a fully grown man cat, and although I have lymphoma, I am continuing to do well!

I am so happy to have made it to my 9th Gotcha Day!  We have no idea how much longer I have, but we are enjoying all the days we have together.  I am very thankful for all my friends who are purring, praying, purring their paws together, and sending positive thoughts my way.  Your love and support means so much to me and to my mom and dad.

It has been a wonderful 9 years with my family so far.  I have had many adventures with my brother Dragonheart, and we have lived in many different places together.  We had my sister Arwen for far too short a time, but I loved her too.  Then when we rescued Devi, I grew to love her as well.

Despite the fact that it is the holiday season for many, we are holding a comment-a-thon for the OVC Pet Trust.  For every comment left on this post between now and Christmas morning at 6am EST, we will donate 50 cents to the OVC Pet Trust, which is a Canadian fund dedicated to the health and well-being of companion animals.  They fund a variety of studies, and you can read more about them here.  It was at OVC that my biopsies were done, my cancer diagnosis was made, and I started my chemotherapy.  They also have a primary care clinic, and that's where I received my veterinary care for many years.  We are hoping that through the research at the Ontario Veterinary College they can find better treatments for feline cancers, and making even a cure someday!  That would be wonderful!

Thank you for taking the time during this busy time of year to visit with me and celebrate my 9th Gotcha Day.

Sunday Selfie: Dragonheart

Dragonheart here!  In honour of my Tenth Gotcha Day, that was celebrated on Friday, here is my Sunday Selfie for this week.  I know I'm looking off to one side, but I don't like having the flashy box flash in my eyes!

Be sure to comment on Friday's post.  We are holding a comment-a-thon to raise money for the OVC Pet Trust!

Caturday Art: Dragonheart

In honour of Dragonheart's 10th Gotcha Day yesterday, this week for Caturday Art with Athena, we present a photo of Dragonheart that has been turned into a watercolour painting with the Waterlogue app for iOS.

Be sure to check out yetserday's post.  We are holding a comment-a-thon to raise money for the OVC Pet Trust!

Frootbat Friday: We are not amused

Hello friends.  So, we are not amused.  Our humans are once again abandoning us.  Okay, so they aren't really, but they are going away for the weekend, to run something called the Army Run.   To be fair, it is for two good causes: Soldier On and the Military Families Fund – two official funds of the Canadian Armed Forces that provide assistance to ill and injured soldiers and military families in need.

We have a veterinary student coming to look after us, so we will be well taken care of, but we still prefer having our mom and dad home.  Especially since dad has been gone all week, working in the city we are moving to soon.

So, we are not amused.  We will be back to posting on Tuesday, friends.

Happy 9th Birthday Merlin!

Today is Merlin's 9th Birthday!  This is a very special birthday, because back in February, when he was diagnosed with large cell lymphoma, we never thought he would make it to his 9th birthday.  Not only has he made it, but in two more days, it will be 7 months since he diagnosis, and he will have outlived his prognosis by 4 months!

Although we are having a wonderful celebration today, it is still bittersweet.  The longest our vet has ever known any cat to live with large cell lymphoma was 2 years after diagnosis.  So while we cherish every day we have together, we know those days are numbered.

Despite that, we know that we are very fortunate to have a wonderful, loving, home, and devoted, caring, loving humans who take very good care of us.  Thus, we are once again holding a comment-a-thon to raise money for SOAR (Sphynx Open Arms Rescue).  For every comment we receive on this post between Friday September 2nd at 0500 EDT and Saturday September 3rd at 0800 EDT, we will donate 50 cents ($0.50) to SOAR.  Why SOAR and not a cancer charity?  Well, SOAR looks after Sphynx in need, and our local animal cancer centre has numerous canine cancer clinical trials, but only one trial for cats (mammary cancer).  As we haven't been able to find a good FELINE cancer research institute to make a donation to, we will donate to help Sphynx in need.

Thank you for visiting Merlin's 9th birthday party, and for all the prayers, purrs, and positive thoughts you have sent our way.  They mean more to us than we can say.

Raise a Paw!

I am raising a paw for the Endometriosis Association. There are so many excellent charities out there, that it was hard to decide who to raise a paw for. As most of you know, my dad is an officer in the Canadian Forces, and there are many excellent charities that support Canadian Forces members, veterans, and families. There are also many wonderful animal charities out there, such as the many rescue groups and no-kill shelters. Then there are all the health-related charities. My mom, for example, suffers from four chronic, incurable diseases. Fortunately, they are all controlled (more-or-less) with medication. Then there are the charities who have helped our extended family. My mom's dad is a prostate cancer survivor, my dad's mom is a breast cancer survivor, and my dad's dad died of an inoperable brain tumour.

In the end, I decided to support the Endometriosis Association, because they have helped my mom out the most. My mom suffers from endometriosis, which can be a very painful disease. She has already had two operations for it in the past, and will likely need to have surgery again at some point in the future, since, unless a surgeon can remove every tiny little last bit of the endometrial lesions, they regrow, and cause pain and problems again.

What is endometriosis? According to the Endometriosis Association:

Endometriosis is a painful, chronic disease that affects 5 1/2 million women and girls in the USA and Canada, and millions more worldwide. It occurs when tissue like that which lines the uterus (tissue called the endometrium) is found outside the uterus -- usually in the abdomen on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and ligaments that support the uterus; the area between the vagina and rectum; the outer surface of the uterus; and the lining of the pelvic cavity. Other sites for these endometrial growths may include the bladder, bowel, vagina, cervix, vulva, and in abdominal surgical scars. Less commonly they are found in the lung, arm, thigh, and other locations.

This misplaced tissue develops into growths or lesions which respond to the menstrual cycle in the same way that the tissue of the uterine lining does: each month the tissue builds up, breaks down, and sheds. Menstrual blood flows from the uterus and out of the body through the vagina, but the blood and tissue shed from endometrial growths has no way of leaving the body. This results in internal bleeding, breakdown of the blood and tissue from the lesions, and inflammation -- and can cause pain, infertility, scar tissue formation, adhesions, and bowel problems.

The Endometriosis Association does a lot to help women with this disease. They provide educational literature and materials, have support groups and chapters throughout the world, support research into the causes and treatment of endometriosis, publish books on endometriosis, and have a crisis line available for women who need someone to talk to in times of crisis. So I am raising a paw for the Endometriosis Association.

Tags: Raising a Paw, Endometriosis, Endometriosis Association, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat,