CHAPTER 258 – A Birthday of Birthdays
Dad was not a morning person, but today he woke up before the alarm went off, even though it was still dark outside – today was the day Abigail was coming home!
Two weeks had passed since that dreary morning he dropped off his little girl at the hospital for radiation treatment for thymoma, hoping that would not be the last time he saw her. Happily, the treatment had gone smoothly and there were no complications, thanks to the amazing and talented staff at UC Davis.
Meanwhile, in the rabbit penthouse suite at UC Davis, Abigail woke up early, too. She sensed it was time for her to go home. She had overheard them yesterday, talking about her “last treatment.” A couple of her caregivers assist-fed her some rabbit hospital food. She ate it quickly, as if to say, “Let’s get this done so I can go home!”
Sure enough, just before noon, they packed her up in her carrier and brought her out to the examination room. She heard Dad’s voice say, “Hi baby! Guess what? You did it! You’re finished with your treatment. You can go home, now!” Abigail was so excited that she spun around inside her carrier, trying to run zoomies. She would have binkied if there was room. Dad lifted her out of the carrier and cuddled her against his chest. She practically purred as he stroked her little ears.
The doctor reported, “She’s been such a joy to work with. We all fell in love with her! The mass in her chest has shrunk. It will continue shrinking for awhile. We’re going to gradually wean her off of the prednisolone over the next four weeks and keep her on antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication to prevent any swelling that could be caused by scatter radiation. Bring her back in six weeks and we’ll take x-rays and check her blood work to see what the final results are. But all the initial signs look good. She can go back to her regular life. There’s really no recovery time.”
The doctor presented Dad with Abigail’s “graduation certificate,” signed by the staff. Dad was so happy to hear the news. “Thank you so much for saving my little girl’s life!” he said.
Abigail’s birthday was coming up in a few days. Dad looked down at the adorable fur ball in his arms and said, “Abigail, you’re coming home just in time to celebrate your eighth birthday! Your gift this year is more birthdays!”
Abigail thought that sounded just fine. She knew she could always count on Dad to save her. She looked forward to spending more birthdays with Dad.
Abigail's life is saved by the caring hands of Dr. Megan (right), Alyssa, and the team of oncologists, radiologists, clinicians, and caregivers at UC Davis.
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