Merry Christmas Opie

While I try to remain impartial, Opie has to be one of my favorite patients. He is a prime example of how some cats will manage to defy the odds. Shortly after I started working here in the summer of 2003, I conducted a physical examination to see how well his diabetes was being managed. Something in his belly felt different to me, and within a few days we realized he had a really bad cancer involving his spleen. As we weighed our options, we ultimately decided to remove his spleen in the hopes of buying him some time. While this type of surgery is not conducted too commonly in general practice, we managed to get him through it and back home. Because of the nature of his cancer, he went home with a guarded prognosis. Back then, I was certain he would not be with us for long. That following December, things were looking especially bad, and I remember how much Opie's family wanted him to survive to see Christmas. I cautioned the family that the chances seemed slim. Christmas 2003 came and went, and Opie kept trucking along. For the most part, he has maintained a very high quality of life, with just a few bumps in the road every now and then. We know his cancer is still there - you can literally see the cancer cells in his blood sample. Every December, we have the same conversation regarding his chances to be around on Christmas day, and for four years now, he has pulled through. I just want to say Merry Christmas to Opie, and thank him for teaching me how strong some cats can be.