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Originally posted by rob_thomas:
Hey everyone. Although mari and I are usually hesitant to make too much of our personal lives public, we both felt as if things in the future would be easier if we made a statement now.
Most of you know that I’ve been recovering from a small surgery. That has been going well. I’m healing fine and there are no complications. The bigger problem in our life is our dog, Tyler. Many of you know Tyler and so you’re aware of how important he is to us and what a huge part of our lives he is.
Last week, he was acting strange and we took him to the emergency care vet, believing that he probably had eaten something that didn’t agree with him. It turned out that he had fluid surrounding his heart. Things got worse from there.
Ten minutes before I performed on the view, we were told that Tyler has a very aggressive form of cancer. He had heart surgery that went well to remove the mass, but the cancer is in his blood vessels and there is no cure for it. Even after his chemotherapy and all of the medications we are putting him on, the reality of the situation is that he has 4-6 months left with us. We are doing everything we can and we have great doctors. We are fighting and striving to have as many days as we can with him.
For those who feel that a dog is just a dog, I can’t ever explain why we feel so much pain. For those of you who have made your animals a part of your family, I don’t have to. Our house is blanketed in sadness these days only made bearable by knowing that we were given a little more time with him and he very well could have passed away already had mari not noticed his behavior and taken him in when she did.
We felt that we should let you all know for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that during the chemo, he will lose his hair and we wanted you to know what was happening so you would know why he looked the way he did, should you see him out and about. (he is very vain, so please don’t stare or point. ☺) Also, if we seem to not be ourselves, it’s because we’re not.
We appreciate all of your concern and if you feel the need to do something for him, a donation to PETS ALIVE or to canine cancer research would be a spot on fitting tribute.
This is a hard time for us and we thank you for your prayers and love. Thank you.