A life lesson from my best friend

Everybody knows what cancer is, yet it remains so intangible to most of us. Cancer is that disease that you hear of all the time, but it never happens to you. You read about it in the paper, you hear it on the news, yet is so far away. I did a fundraiser for Marie Curie Cancer Care two years ago, and thought I understood a fraction of how devastating this disease is. I was terribly wrong. Shortly after, my granda was diagnosed with cancer and I remember how the air around me vanished leaving me breathless when I first heard. It's something you never understand fully, unless it happens to you. My granda, bless his soul, passed away before the cancer took over him and that was our short experience with this type of poisonous disease. Two days ago, I found out my dog has cancer and it's terminal - another breathless moment. No one saw it coming, and honestly, who would in a dog? But cancer spares no one. As much as I am obviously crushed about my sweet wee puppy getting sick, I do realise that human life is greater and more precious than that of a dog. But this is my dog, the being I love most in this world, my baby. At this point, I am dealing with a strong feeling of denial. But what annoys me the most, is that i don't get to go through denial, and all the other feelings until i reach acceptance. Because it all happened so fast, and the end is so near, there is so much pressure to accept it happening, that I cannot lose precious time denying the inevitable when I could make the most of this time left. I will go home in two weeks, and I will show that pure soul of fluffiness how much I love him, and that I will be there for him when it happens. Even though this dog is everything to me, there is nothing I can do to save him. And I did think about it. During the past nights I kept thinking of all the things I would gladly do or give up in exchange for a few more years for him. I realised I would do a shit load of things I would have never even considered before, but in the end, it doesn't even matter. I feel so useless in front of cancer. Bottom line, after two days of this nightmare I can't seem to wake up from, I can't even imagine the amount of pain and horror cancer patients and their families go through. Cancer is definitely the worst, most egregious horrible like-sucking disease in the world. And for those who have meet Lucky, a true warrior at heart and a fluffy ball of love on the outside - his destiny will not become meaningless. I am deeply sad because my dog doesn't get to die of old age, but I will take this as a life lesson and invest my time and resources into the care of those who have cancer. I don't have any more words... Lucky is the best dog one could ever dream of, compassionate and protective, and a dog who doesn't like mushrooms on his pizza.