Ampuversary

by Ashley Weeks Cart

FAVE~

Today is Ursa’s Ampuversary.

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It has been exactly one year since she had her front left leg amputated due to cancer.

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I am so grateful, relieved, awestruck, thrilled (glass cage of emotion!) that she is still here and doing so wonderfully (despite our tough news nearly four weeks ago). I didn’t think she’d make it to this milestone, and yet, she’s lying beside me, thumping her tail merrily whenever I give those silky ears a pat.

FAVE~

I have so many thoughts I want to share about how she is doing (beautifully!), what this past year has meant to us (talk about perspective!), and provide some details about her diagnosis, how we decided on amputation and our thoughts now a year later, her treatment plan, both immediately following the amputation and since the tumor’s reappearance nearly four weeks ago, particularly because I know many people have found their way to this space because they too have been faced with the devastation of this kind of news.

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But right now, James is sound asleep in a still soggy bathing suit to my right, and I feel about how he looks. So all of those reflections will have to wait until a more rested moment in time (ha!).

FAVE~

For now, we’re celebrating this anniversary with photos by the talented, kind, delightful Amanda Jones. She’s a renowned pet photographer who just so happens to live in Williamstown and keep a studio at MassMoCA. We brought Ursa in for a shoot following the weekend when her tumor had grown so large that it had completely split open and she was not eating or drinking or even lifting her eyes to the thud of the tennis ball. We thought that that was going to be her final day with us, so James and I wanted to do something meaningful for the three of us, so into Amanda’s studio we went.

FAVE~

It was during our photo session that bits of Ursa’s personality began to come back. She was eating treats. Seeking out every ball in every nook and cranny of that space. Wagging her tail. Perking her ears. We had a glimmer of hope that perhaps she still had some happy, good times ahead of her. It was an afternoon that I know James and I will cherish forever.

FAVE~

And since then, she’s only gotten stronger. The tumor wound is now completely healed and the mass has disappeared with it. We’ll know more about what’s happening internally next week, and I’ll talk about some of the more experimental treatments we’ve been doing that may have led us to a less dire place in a future post. I’m trying not to get my hopes up, or over think, or look too far ahead.

FAVE~

All I know is that my Inky Stinky Black Bear is thriving. And for now, that’s all I need to know.

FAVE~

Photos: Courtesy of Amanda Jones