A dad-of-three and his animal Labrador are maximizing the couple of months they have actually left together after both were detected with kidney cancer simply months apart.
While owner Simon O’Brien’s the good news is entered into remission, he was ‘crushed’ by the news ‘best friend’ Bella’s is terminal.
Both experienced comparable signs, feeling continuously exhausted and thirsty, prior to scans revealed they had possibly deadly swellings on their kidneys, which were detected as cancer in 2015.
Convinced his days were numbered, Simon, 48, checked out the Marie Curie website to prepare his own funeral service and get his family affairs in order.
He even penned future letters for his 3 kids, Ivy, 27, Callum, 18, and Niamh, 14, to open on huge events.
Thankfully, this showed unneeded when he learnt his cancer remained in remission previously this year after going through a seven-hour emergency situation surgical treatment and having his kidney got rid of.
But unfortunately the very same surgical treatment is too dangerous for eight-year-old Bella, therefore Simon is now maximizing what valuable time they have actually left.
‘If you are not an animal person, then you probably don’t get it, however if you are, then you comprehend,’ he said.
Simon, who copes with his spouse Ruth in Aintree, Merseyside, and works as an IT task supervisor for NTT Data, went on: ‘She is my best friend and is so much more than a dog to us, she is family.
‘It was like a bolt out of the blue and having two cancers in the family at the same time has been awful.
‘You are aware of the burden you put on others, even though they might not show it, you can see their worry and concern.’
Alarm bells went off when Bella began dropping weight, sleeping more and drinking great deals of water in May 2022.
‘Bella was your typical, cliche Labrador – just a family dog, who is always happy and loves playing with children,’ said Simon.
‘She was usually very prim and proper and groomed herself, but she had stopped and constantly had her tail between her legs, which was unusual, so we knew something was wrong.’
The family took Bella to the veterinarian, who referred her to a professional animal healthcare facility in Chester, where a scan validated she had terminal kidney cancer.
‘The vet said there was nothing they could do and she had months to live, and to enjoy our time left with her and make memories,’ said Simon.
‘We’ll get her on some medications and take advantage of the time you’ve got.’
A couple of months later on in October in 2015, Simon, an eager half marathon runner and member of the Liverpool Running Club, began feeling tired after his regular training.
‘I was struggling to finish a training session with the guys and thought I must have really let myself go during the pandemic,’ he said.
‘But then I found myself getting really tired and thirsty, and losing weight without wanting to.’
Oblivious, he visited his GP and was described his regional healthcare facility for tests in November where a CT scan revealed a mass on his ideal kidney.
He said: ‘(They) told me over the phone that they had found a mass on my right kidney that they suspected it was cancer and that there was a chance it had spread to my lymph nodes.
‘At that point I was feeling pretty rubbish because I had continued to lose weight and was feeling very weak.’
Simon and Ruth chose to break the destructive news to their kids that very same month.
‘Telling the kids was one of the hardest things, but we decided it was best to all go through it together,’ he said.
‘Of course we played out the best-case scenario to them because they are only young.
‘Quietly to myself I was thinking, “Oh my god, I can’t think this, me and my poor dog”. At least I can get the op.’
Fearing the worst, Simon released into preparing his funeral service and composed a series of letters for future unique events like his kids’s huge birthdays and wedding events.
‘I was hoping for the best but planning for the worst,’ he said.
However, his cancer is now in remission after he went through a seven-hour emergency situation operation at Royal Liverpool University Hospital to eliminate his kidney in December.
‘We only officially got the news last month,’ he said.
‘Seeing the sense of relief on family and friends’ deals with was really psychological – a genuine good sensation.’
Despite Bella’s more awful diagnosis, the golden laboratory, who is on £600 worth of medication a month, has actually lived far longer than was initially anticipated.
‘The medication is very expensive but has been amazing, and after a week or so we pretty much had her back,’ Simon said.
‘The one thing we have kept going is taking her to the beach because she loves the waves, and for five or ten minutes she’ll forget whatever and be a puppy once again.’
Simon, who quit working after his medical diagnosis, loaded appreciation on his company NTT Data, which has actually continued paying his wage throughout his experience.
Determined to enjoy his time entrusted Bella he has actually because started a Park Run obstacle to raise money for Marie Curie, which supports terminally-ill individuals and their households at the end of life with care, details and assistance.
‘Everything on the Marie Curie website was in one place with support on finances, funerals, wills and all the practical information you need when you are in that situation,’ he said.
‘It removed the worry and gave me all the information to protect my family’s future.
‘I wrote letters for my children and even planned my funeral songs.
‘It gave me peace of mind whereas my health was out of my control.’
Dr Laura Chapman, medical director at the Marie Curie Liverpool Hospice, said: ‘This is such a sad situation, to have Simon and Bella diagnosed with the same type of cancer at the same time is something I have never heard of in my medical career.
‘The chances of a dog getting this relatively unusual cancer at the same time as her owner are around a million to one.
‘It’s heartbreaking for the family who are now making valued memories with Bella.’
Matt Williams, associate director of details and assistance at Marie Curie, said: ‘I am glad that our website was there at a time when Simon needed it most.
‘People with shock diagnosis often have nowhere to turn and need information fast. So we have created a one-stop information hub to help people put their affairs in order and plan their funeral and finances when the worst happens.’
To discover help or assistance, visit the Marie Curie website.
To learn more about Simon and Bella’s Park Run fundraising obstacle, click here.
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