Bailey is no more : (

Today at 6:15 am I received the phone call I was dreading the most! I could tell by the caller ID that it would not be a good call. Bailey died this morning at the clinic in Bellingham a little after 5 a.m. Though she had a peaceful night she simply stopped breathing. Sunday's visit was really so great--I took her for a walk in a local park. I am glad I have our walk as one of my last memories of her as she really seemed to be feeling quite well. She developed a fever on Monday associated with a bacterial kidney infection. Her blood work was better yesterday, and her temperature was back to normal, but when I saw her yesterday, her breathing was labored, and since she was sedated, she was somewhat lethargic. She held on long enough for the journalist from Great Britain to photograph her for a story, yesterday, however (this had been prearranged weeks ago before she had to go back to the clinic). Her story has really been about timing all along. I think that was the last thing she did for me-- Bailey like me, wants her story to be told!

We have no regrets for what we did in trying to save her. In Bailey's memory I hope to raise funding for a transplant center to be built in W. Washington headed by our wonderful veterinarian, Dr. Sullivan and to get a donor registry in place for pets like they have for people. Lymphoma is a common cancer in pets. The technology is there to save them. After all it was laboratory animals, dogs, that gave this life saving procedure (bone marrow/stem cell transplants) to people. Dr. Sullivan's first transplant dog, Comet, has been cancer free since June 2004. Clifford, Bailey's only sibling match, proved to be too close of a match for her which is why she did not develop any Graft Versus Host Disease which is needed to kill the tumor cells.

I can't put into words the sadness and emptiness that my family feels. Bailey was the best and will be sorely missed! I will end by thanking everyone who helped me in my quest to save Bailey which includes the Halletts, the owner of Comet, owners of Bailey's family members--in particular the Suttons, owner of Clifford who allowed him twice to help Bailey by allowing him to be her transplant donor and to undergo tumor vaccine injections before the donor lymphocyte infusion, the press, and of course to our wonderful veterinarian Dr. Sullivan and his staff at Bellingham Critical Care Veterinary Clinic. I know this morning's phone call was not any easy one for Dr. Sullivan to make!