Thread by @ctlyle1

Got the results of Kaya’s autopsy today and it confirms two things. 1) I made the right decision & 2) that girl was a freaking warrior.

Strap yourself in, this is gonna make you cry. ⬇️

At the time of her passing, Kaya had cancerous lumps in 65% of her lungs, most of her heart, kidneys, bladder, spinal cord, and digestive system.

But knowing that other than clearly being bothered by the lump on her leg before surgery, she was playing, eating, and generally acting normal I asked why she would have so rapidly declined post-surgery.

The vet said, “I honestly have no idea how she managed so well, for so long.” The sarcoma had clearly been in her body for years. But since she never seemed to be bothered and her checkups were always good, she never got scans to check for it.

She had just learned to deal with it. Bad lung capacity, blood flow, etc. I never noticed (and I paid close attn) any diminishment of her mental or physical capabilities. She was always just as active and alert as she was when she was a puppy, right up to the surgery.

So what’s the explanation? Vet said that putting her under anesthesia was likely the tipping point. Her heart, lungs, and nervous system just couldn’t continue putting up a fight with cancer while simultaneously trying to recover from major surgery.

Having been the one who made the decision for her to undergo the surgery, I somewhat blame myself. But hindsight is 20/20. She was clearly in pain from the cancerous growth, and was showing no other signs of discomfort.

If I hadn’t removed the growth, the outcome would’ve been the same. Maybe I’d have had a month or so more. But it was clear the cancer spread too rapidly to be effectively treated, even post-surgery prior to the autopsy.

In short, Kaya suffered in silence. Maybe she, like so many of the veterans she helped, thought her condition was normal and just learned to live with it.

But she was a warrior. I’d like to think she knew the work she did was important and just didn’t want to give up; she pushed forward despite her pain because she loved me, and all of those around her, so completely.

Thank you, Kaya. I miss you fiercely. Until we meet again, sweet girl.

If you’d like to help honor her legacy, please consider donating to help start an organization in her name: gofundme.com/f/honoring-kay…