Message from the other side

Hi there!

You thought you’d be rid of me??? Naaa, I’m gonna live on forever!

Let me tell you about my final weekend. Mum and dad saw me going downhill quite fast. I was constantly trembling on my feet. And the diarrhoea, my goodness!!!! It was relentless. Mum got me some medication from the vet. That didn’t help. She got me something else, that didn’t help either…. But when they went on holiday to Ireland (I wasn’t invited for some bizarre reason) I went on holiday with several friends (Melissa, Dominique and Luna, Marleen and Isidoortje). When it was Marleen’s turn to care for me, she decided to go online and find a solution for the diarrhoea.

Mum and dad cooked her recipe for me ever since: rice, chicken, boiled eggs, Weetabix, yoghourt, I loved it!!! I didn’t know where Marleen had been my whole life, but she was a godsend!

But still, after a while, it got worse again. I went on holiday to grandad for four days and he too thought that I was on the way out. I was glad to be spoilt by him for the last time though.

So, I decided to put mum and dad out of their misery. Together we picked a date for me to cross the rainbow bridge and Sophie decided to come over to say goodbye. It would be Monday 14 October. We had a fantastic weekend before that. We were determined to have lots of fun and all be brave about this.

On the Saturday we went to the dog beach in Antwerp. The weather was beautiful. Dad said that this was the closest we could get to dog heaven. I played in the water for at least an hour and a half.

On the Sunday Sophie said her goodbyes and went back home and in the afternoon, and then all my friends from the Ireland holiday knocked on the door!!!! Melissa, Dominique and Luna, Marleen and Isidoortje! Oh and Monique, the neighbour lady came too. She used to walk me very often when mum and dad decided to go into town. They never knew how much fun I had with Monique.

So we all went to the Wolvenberg pond for a swim (that would be only just me). We took chairs and drinks and I swam for at least an hour. Swimming was something I wasn’t allowed to do anymore because it made me too sick. But for this weekend, Mum said it was OK. She was gonna clean up the shit. Cleaning up someone else’s shit is what she does for a living, she said.

She had also gone to the butcher for some bones. I was also no longer allowed to have those. My tummy wouldn’t take it.

So a nice weekend with all my friends in the next best thing to dog heaven….

That night, I was terribly sick. Mum had to wake up several times to clean up. We cuddled a bit that morning, in between sickness. We had a last walk in the park, and that was it. Off to the vet. That afternoon, mum and dad went back to the Wolvenberg to find the last log I had chewed on and took it home.

I am now on the other side and I can tell you that it is great! Swimming, bones, rabbits…. And all my friends who had passed already are here too: Sandy, Cupido, Diesel, Oscar,… there were all waiting for me.

Dad is a bit lonely. He takes himself on walkies now. And mummy has to clean the kitchen floor herself. But that’s OK, I have shown them plenty of times how to do it.  

Sophie misses my cuddles terribly, but she can cuddle her friend Archie. Anyway, they know that I will live forever in the hearts and memories of many.

Take care of them for me, will you?

Charlie

Years turning into months, months turning into weeks

Hi there. It’s been a while, I know.

The truth is, I’m on the decline a bit. Mum and Dad noticed a couple of months ago that I started drinking a lot more than usual. They’ve been measuring my water intake for two years now. It shouldn’t be more than 1.5 litres a day. Also, I started peeing in the house again. That was also not a good sign.

Mum was not looking forward to mopping the floor at 4 AM every morning (she said she was gonna kill me). 

So the minute they saw things were changing, Mum took me to Dr Cindy. She drew some blood and said that the calcium in my blood was too high.  So I needed more medication for that.

Also I have not been so hungry lately. I have lost quite a bit of weight. Mum and Dad have always said, the minute I stop being hungry, me being Charlie the-always-hungry-chocolate-labrador, that’ll be the beginning of the end… Well, that’s where we are really....  So I needed more medication for that too.

Mum and Dad are trying to make my meals more interesting. At least that makes me eat. And it tastes delicious. There are good things about having cancer! Mummy said there was another good thing about having cancer: I stopped losing hair! Apparently it’s the medication. That’s a bonus!

Then all that medication gave me diarrhoea. So I needed more medication for that too. The local pharmacist told my Dad that if it weren’t for me, he’d go out of business.

On the other hand, Dr Cindy said the chemo was not gonna make a difference anymore so I’m not taking that now.

The local butcher gave Mum half a cow’s rib cage for me to chew on. Mum doesn’t really know if it is good for me or not, but she doesn’t really care anymore. I love a good chew, and I’m on the way out anyway. She is determined to pamper me until that final day. Oh, she made me a fabulous birthday cake in March. All that’s left of it is this:

Mum has also found a second bed for me, just in case I have a wee accident during the night, I can move to the other bed. We all have to adjust to this new situation.

Mum and Dad now expect me to tell them when I’ve had enough but Dr Cindy told them that that’ s not how working dogs communicate. We working dogs keep wagging our tails to please everyone else, so Mum and Dad need to look for other body language. But as long as I still enjoy swimming and cuddling, and as long as I sleep on my back, Dr Cindy said I can stay.

So there you go, all good things come to an end. I’m not gone yet, but it won’t be long anymore. Mum, Dad and Sophie are fine with it. And boy did we have some fun times over the past years!!! Anyway, Mum says there are lots of swimming pools and butchers on the other side. She said I need not worry about any of that. She knows these things, you know?

Mum, Dad and Sophie are proud of me for having been so good for such a long time. And I am grateful for everything they have done. I will hang on in there for as long as I can. That’s a promise!

Charlie

Letter to Dr Bart Van Goethem

Dear Dr Bart,

13 November 2015 for many was the day of the Paris Bataclan attack. For me, it was the day you gave me back my life.

You may not remember me, so here’s a picture. I am still this gorgeous, you know!

  

When mum and dad brought me to you, you were not very optimistic about my future. I had anal sack cancer. You said you could give me 1 to 3 years. Most likely, it would be 1 rather than 3.

Mummy and I looked at each other and we agreed we would go for the full 3 years. You repeated that that was not likely.

Today, that being 2 years ago, I just want to let you know that I am still enjoying life. I’m just saying!

I am now in the equally good care of Dr Cindy Van Geffen (Randstad) in Antwerp. I have had 2 minor operations, but since January 2017 they have stopped all interventions because the cancer is in too difficult a place and the Doctor is afraid that it might do more harm than good.

All I get now is chemo. I love the chemo because mummy gives it to me with a bit of paté. Yum!!! She says “chemo”, I start drooling!

The good thing about having cancer is that I am being spoiled left, right and centre. I get to swim in every swimming pool and people pick me up for walks! Mum and dad take me on holiday now, instead of me having to go to the stupid kennel.

This picture was taken in May this year.

This picture was taken on 25 August this year

I also have a blog about my cancer (www.charliesfightagainstcancer.blogspot.be) and mummy says I have more friends on it than she has! Well duh!

In March 2018 I will celebrate my 10^th birthday with – yet another – birthday cake. It will most likely be my last one but that's OK. We are all very happy that we still got to spend such good times with each other.  Let’s just hope the end will not be too difficult.

So thank you - thank you - thank you! I will never forget what you did for me.

Charlie Mitchell

I'm still standing

Hi there. It’s been a while now. I’ve got loads to tell you. I’ve been on holiday a couple of times, I’ve been swimming in rivers, ponds and swimming pools all over the country, I’ve been to the hospital a couple of times but most importantly: 

I can’t see the rainbow anymore! 

Mum says it’s probably because I am getting old and I need glasses!

Last time I wrote on my blog, I had just been told by Doctor Cindy that that was that! No more operations. I was going to live whatever time was left and then….. over the rainbow.

So my Mum and Dad and all my friends like Sophie and grandad and Geert and Lief and Melissa and Dominique and Stefan and many others decided to spoil me rotten. So here’s all the things that I’ve been doing:

In March I went to the hospital for a check-up. Doctor Cindy told me that the cancer had hardly grown. The lymph nodes had gone from 1.5 cm to 2.1 cm. I have 3 of those bastards.

Liver and spleen still good! The main tumour in my bum is not back yet. The chemo is doing its job!

In March I celebrated my 9^th birthday! Mummy and Sophie made me a big cake with banana and carrots and biscuits and yoghourt!

They never thought I’d make it! It took me 2 minutes to finish it...

It may have been my last birthday cake. It may not…

So Sophie was in Belgium for a couple of days too. We always have great fun. We do lots of walks and cuddling.

Then there is Melissa. I love Melissa. She picks me up every now and then and we always do fun things. She treated me to a weekend at the seaside with a Bongo voucher. 

I went with Mum and Dad before the Easter holidays, when doggies can still run freely on the beach. I had loads of fun there. And guess who joined us: grandad! Don’t know where he came from all of a sudden but look: there he was!

It may have been my last time on the beach. But then again, it may not…

Shortly after that, I was invited to come along to a party at Dominique and Stefan and the happy six’s house. They have a swimming pool you know. 

Now, if you have been following my blog with only one eye, you know what that means! Exactly! Great fun!

It may have been my last time in the pool. But then again, it may not…

Then Mum and Dad decided to take me back to the Ardennes where we went last year. Last time the water was really high and the current strong. Swimming was really dangerous. This year, it was much better. I played in the water for days.

We didn’t walk that much. I can’t run that long anymore. I am getting old you know. One day I was so tired that Mum had to lift my bum up the stairs! How embarrassing is that?

Mum and Dad took me to this fabulous place last year on a so-called “last holiday together” and look: there we were again.

It may have been my last time this year. But then again, it may not….

Today, we went back to the hospital for a check-up. Guess what? The cancer has hardly grown. It went from 2.12 cm to 2.45 cm. That’s even less than last time!

Doctor Cindy said that where the cancer is, I have enough space in my tummy for the cancer not to bother me any time soon. Mummy thought the cancer would crush the main artery into my rear legs and paralyse me but Doctor Cindy said that the artery lining is too strong for that to happen. My spleen and liver are still clear! The chemo is doing its job! 

Take that you stupid cancer!

Doctor Cindy also said that, as I am getting a bit older, my walks shouldn’t be that long anymore. Mum and Dad were quite happy to hear that. They never thought I’d get this far. They’d rather see me deteriorate from old age, than from stupid cancer.

So there you go. I am still standing. And you know what? I can’t see the rainbow anymore…. Maybe I don’t want to see it yet.

But then again, neither do Mum and Dad!

I can see the rainbow from where I’m standing

Hi there, it’s me again. Mum and I went to the hospital again in January for my quarterly check-up. I was put on the machine again by Doctor Cindy. She saw a small lymph node again in my tummy so Mum made an appointment to have it removed. She knows I can handle it.

On the day of the operation, Mum dropped me off and went to the office. About a quarter to ten in the morning, Doctor Cindy called Mum in the office to tell her that she had taken a closer look at the ultrasound images of my tummy, together with the doctor who was going to remove the cancer. They had decided that it was too dangerous to operate because there was a small lymph node between an artery and my spine. I am in good shape right now and anything going wrong in the operation could ruin that.

Mummy agreed that the best thing to do was not to operate anymore and let me enjoy whatever time I have left. So she picked me back up from the hospital around lunch time. That’s it, no more operations….

Doctor Cindy doesn’t really know how much time I have left so she will do an ultrasound every 2 to 3 months to see how the cancer evolves. Eventually, she said, I will probably stop eating and die of liver failure. Mum and dad don’t believe that there will ever be a day that I will stop eating, but there you go. There is a first time for everything.

The Doctor said that there was stronger chemotherapy, but it is very expensive, it will not cure me, and there will be side effects. Mum and dad feel strongly about it: not because of the money issue, but because they do not want me to suffer any more than necessary. The stronger chemo is not an option. The Doctor understands that.

Obviously, this is not the best news I’ve had. Mum and Dad, however, are at peace with it. I was diagnosed with cancer in September 2015. I was given another year. We have had a great year – and longer – together and as long as I am still well, Mum and Dad are happy.

But they are going to spoil me rotten, they said – even more! We started with a great long walk in the Beeltjens in Westerlo with my mate Clovis and his family. If I hang around till the summer, they promised me I could come over for a swim in their pool.

Mum and Dad have noticed that I am a bit less energetic than I used to be. I sleep a bit more but there are no signs of pain or discomfort. They said I can sleep as long and as often as I like. Also, I am almost 9 years old. I am getting a bit older. 9 years! 

Who would have thought that I would still make that? I wonder which cake mum is going to get me this year…

Mum and Dad talk about “the day” of course. They know it will be a difficult one but they are determined not to stretch it any longer than necessary.

My best friend Sophie is gutted obviously, but I want her to know that I’ve had – and still am having – a good life and I am grateful for her friendship. We all have to accept the inevitable and I need her to be brave about this. And even though I can see the rainbow from where I’m standing, I’m sure we’ll still have good times next time she comes to Belgium.

 Charlie

Medical update: still standing strong!

I haven’t got a lot of time to blog because I am too busy enjoying my life. But I know more than 100 people are following me on my blog so I have this duty to write something. Anyway, that's what mum says!

I went to the hospital yesterday and here’s the verdict:

The tumour in my ass had not come back yet: good!

There is no metastasis in my spleen and liver yet: good!

The calcium levels in my blood were OK: good!

My white blood cells were a bit below average. That is due to the chemo so were gonna stop the chemo for a while: don’t mind!

The ultrasound of my tummy was mildly positive. A small lymph node was found again near a blood vessel. It is smaller than the one they removed in June. The surgeon (a lady again!) thinks she can remove it even though these operations are never without any risk. Removing it is always the best option, she said. I'm going in in October.

The oncolodomist was a bit worried about “it” coming back so soon after the previous operation. Mum and dad, however, think I am doing great, given that 10 months ago they said I was only gonna live for another 12 months! And look at me now: still standing strong!

The loncomonist doesn’t really know whether the chemo still works or not. There are other more aggressive therapies out there but they might make me sick. Mum and dad feel strongly about this. Stretching my life with less quality is not an option! Do you agree? I certainly do!

That’s it for now!

Charlie

I am going on holiday and I am taking...

I went to the Ardennes again this weekend and that reminded me that I hadn’t given you the full report of my holiday in June yet, or any pictures.

Next week I have to go back to the hospital for a check-up so, before I have to report whatever news I’ll have, here’s my holiday report! 



Dad promised me we’d go to the Ardennes for my birthday and he kept his promise. 













It was superb, even though it was only “Belgium”. Usually holiday means mum and dad drop me at the kennels and pick me back up when they’re done. 

Not this time. I was coming along!

When we arrived, I felt like I had just arrived in seventh heaven: there was a river, there was a hut with a wood burner, there were chews, there was mum and there was dad and there was my bed and there was piggy.

I even got a second piggy for my birthday and a tin of biscuits. I don’t know what that other black thing in the middle is but mum insisted on taking it. She said it was absolutely necessary for her stress management.

First we had to drive very very far. Like almost 2 hours! That is if we don’t get lost. Otherwise, it is 3.5 hours! 

When we arrived, I saw this.


Mum said I had to calm down and she kept repeating it for 24 hours!! 

Tell me: how can I calm down with this right in front of me? She doesn't seem to know me very well...




Mum allowed me to swim in the river in front of the cabin for a while but the current was so strong she thought she was gonna have to collect my nose on one side of the river and my bum on the other. She said: “hey matey, we’ve been fighting this cancer together for 6 months, I shall not have you drown in the river!” 

I was very restless that night. I couldn’t stop thinking about that river. I had to swim. Mum and dad blocked the stairs down to the water so I couldn't escape. Pity! 


Anyway, I swam a lot. I mean A LOT! 

Jumped in the water at every opportunity.

Sometimes there are other people in the water. I always go to say hello to them.

The next day, we went on a walk. Well, walk is the understatement of the century! 

Mum and dad can’t read maps together ‘cos they’ll end up arguing, so only one of them reads the map. Obviously we got lost. I won’t tell you who was reading the map. 

The bottom line is: we walked A LOT. Mum and dad think I ran about 50 km.

The next day, I was absolutely knackerooned. Dad said: “come on, mate, let’s go for a walk.” And I thought: “Really? Again?” Anyway, we did go on a slightly more moderate walk and swim. I also cleared the water of some wood. 





I do that because it is in my jeans, apparently. Don’t know what that means. I haven't got any jeans but mum told me that that's what it is. She knows these things, you know.





Sometimes the twigs are quite large… But when my jeans tell me to do it, I have to do it.









































On the third day, after a good night’s sleep (without hyperventilating), I was ready for more. We went to this big lake where I had been before. It is called the basin of Nisramont. Check it out! 

It was raining, but that didn’t bother us because I was swimming anyway. It was beautiful.

I did about 35 km that day. We had a picnic on the way. 




I also love jumping in the high grass.

I like to play hide and seek but mum and dad always find me... I don't know how they do it.

The last day Mum and Dad put a BBQ on the floor. Now normally I would steal whatever they put on it. Not tonight. I was knackered! Mum and dad were able to BBQ comfortably!

That was my holiday in a nutshell. I enjoyed it. I hope to go again soon.

I hope you enjoyed my pictures.

That's it for now! 

Charlie