You know how sometimes, when you get sick or have a weird symptom you find yourself WebMD'ing and you freak out a bit when it says you probably have some random cancer? Well, that totally happened to me, except, in my case, it really was cancer. I was a junior in college, living carefree and feeling rather invincible. Little did I know, my life was about to change forever. In a matter of one week, I went from studying for finals and thinking about Summer vacation to being in the ICU on oxygen, getting blood transfusions, riddled with tumors and late-stage cancer and struggling to stay alive.
Once I was diagnosed, I knew I had a long, hard, and emotional road ahead of me. Having cancer was harder than I could have ever imagined. Getting the most aggressive chemo regimen available was something I was totally unprepared for. Before I knew it, my long, silky brown hair was dry, dead, matted, and falling out in heartbreaking chunks. Soon after, my thick eyebrows and long eyelashes were also gone. My strength, energy, and optimism was completely nonexistent. I was constantly going through stressful, painful procedures. I had no energy and the new rounds of trauma seemed neverending. I tried my best to remain positive, but it was so difficult. Losing to cancer was never an option in my mind. In the midst of all the uncertainty, I knew deep inside I needed "something" to lift my spirits, keep me company, and give me something to look forward to. Oddly, the something I needed was a cat!
I had been wanting a cat for so long and decided that it was a great time to adopt. Adopting a cat seemed like just another great reason for me to fight and stay alive. On one of the few days that I felt good enough to actually get out of bed, I went to the humane society to enthusiastically begin my search. I found a couple of adorable contenders and then approached what appeared to be an empty cage. The cat seemed to be hiding in a box so I couldn't see him. I almost moved on but decided to lightly tap on the cage. Once I did, a long black paw-arm stretched out and extended towards me as if to say "hello, here I am." Without even seeing the cat, I asked one of the employees if I could bring him into a meet-and-greet room.
A few minutes later, in came this beautiful, fat tuxedo cat with the softest, silkiest velvet-like fur. He was absolutely perfect . . . it was love at first sight. You'd think a cat would be skittish and terrified to meet someone new in a kennel environment, but he came running, rubbing up against my legs and meowing. I knew I couldn't leave without him, so I decided to make it official. I adopted him!
My days battling cancer were usually spent in a hospital or confined to a bed, but now when I was home, I had 24/7 purring, kneading, adorable company. My cat would lay on my chest for hours, sleep next to me, and give me unconditional love in between chemo rounds (even the tough ones!). It seemed as if he could sense when I was having an especially hard day because he would just stay glued to me for hours. His presence was so therapeutic and calming. He gave me this comforting feeling that everything was just going to work itself out and be OK. While some days I could barely find the strength to return a text, my cat was always there for me and didn't expect a thing in return — well, besides a can or two of Fancy Feast. He was by my side through it all!
Months later, I heard the joyous news that I was cancer-free! It was the best day of my life; I celebrated with friends and family, but when I came home that night, it was like nothing changed. My loving cat was still there waiting for me.
Fast forward five years later — I'm healthy, happy, and a full-blown crazy cat lady, but can you blame me? Seriously, who rescued who!?