Mya

Mya is a 9 year old American Pit Bull Terrier, a breed that is generally looked upon as vicious, unpredictable and dangerous. This is not at all the case with Mya and certainly is not the case with the majority of APBT. This is one of the most misinterpreted breeds and since Mya is my first APBT and my first dog, I have become some what of an advocate for the breed. Our family was not one to ever have animals. I am not really sure why, but Mya was the second dog behind my cousins Dachshund, but the first larger breed dog any of us ever had. And given the stereotype of this breed, I made sure to work long and hard with Mya to prove that she really was just a pussy cat, and she made it easy. Mya and I were united when she was just over 6 weeks old. She was alone in the corner, shaking, just waiting for someone to hold her and take her home. From the moment we saw each other, and I placed her against my chest for comfort, she stopped shaking and we have been inseparable since. Now, 9 years later, that one simple moment in time, has changed the way I look at life forever. Having never been a dog owner, and not yet being a parent to a child, I never knew how much you could love anything, especially an animal. Mya is my angel. She has been through so much with me and more importantly, my family. She seemed to sense as two of my grandparents were getting sick, and eventually dying. She would simply sit by their side, never once jumping up or attempting to have a tug-o-war contest with them, her favorite past time while indoors. She would jut lay there, protecting, loving and comforting. It's amazing how "they just know." For every tear I have cried in my short lifetime, Mya has been there to both lick the tears off my cheeks, but to literally place her paw on my face, to tell me everything will be alright. As I sit here writing this, the tears are once again streaming down my face, and the mere thought that someday soon Mya may not be there to lick those tears, and help heal my heart, overwhelms me. I have been so lucky to have her as a constant companion and a larger than life cuddle buddy, and I know Mya has been lucky to have us in her life as well. About 2 months ago, I noticed two enlarged lymph nodes under Mya's neck. At first I tried telling myself that those had always been there and then I correlated them to the ear infection that she was being treated for. After a week had gone by and they were still there, I felt along the rest of her body and discovered golf ball sized nodes on her shoulders, and behind her knees. I am a Registered Nurse, and in my heart I already knew the diagnosis, and once I googled it, I knew for sure. I made an appointment with the vet the next day and on August 9, 2011 @ 4:49pm, I received the phone call from Mya's longtime vet, that it was indeed Lymphoma and my world instantly crumbled. I had held onto the hope that it was a widespread infection, or an auto-immune disease, and just hearing her prognosis-"a month to a month and a half without treatment", I lost it. Nothing could console me and all I could do was hug her and tell her how much I loved her and I would do anything I could to help her. The worst part was, that besides the swollen lymph nodes, you would never have known she was sick. That day I made the appointment with the Oncologist and the rest is history. Now I could write forever on the amazing times we have shared together, and the comfort and companionship she has always brought to all those she has ran into in her short life. I have read other stories on this page and was moved by each and every one of them. All of our stories are heart wrenching and all of us, need help. I am so thankful for a foundation that will allow me to share my story and also ask for any kind donations to help me continue to treat Mya and keep her in remission as long as heavenly possible. Becoming an RN, BSN was the proudest moment of my life, but has left me paying an abundance of student loans. I do my best to pay bills and save, but it is hard, as I am sure so many of us know. Thanks to every one for listening to my story and for reading all about my angel Mya. I wish every one was as lucky as I have been to know her.