Happy brought so much life and joy into our home; we never imagined we would be faced with letting her go at this time in our lives. We did everything we could to save her. However, the time came when we knew we had to relieve her suffering from advanced kidney disease.
Happy had been through so much with medical interventions in attempts to prolong her life. The last thing we wanted to do was put her in the car and take her away from her home as we all faced the end of this very difficult journey. We called Caring Pathways on a Sunday morning. The individual who answered was incredibly compassionate and helpful. I was emotionally overwhelmed, and having someone so understanding and patient, when I was struggling to even speak, was exactly the comfort I needed at that moment. She walked me through the process of taking care of all the end-of-life details for Happy and set us up with an appointment that Sunday afternoon.
When Dr. Kira arrived, it was as if an angel had entered our home. Her presence was so calming that Happy hardly seemed to notice there was a stranger in the room. Dr. Kira gave us all the time we needed with Happy and was genuinely interested in our story and what she had brought to our lives. She walked us through the process in a way that allowed us to be fully present with Happy as she transitioned in a peaceful and beautiful way.
Happy left us years sooner than we ever anticipated—we just didn’t see it coming. I still wrestle with what I could have done differently. Should I have changed her diet? Noticed her symptoms sooner? But one thing we know we did absolutely right, and take comfort in, was the call we placed to Caring Pathways. Together with Dr. Kira, we gave Happy a gift in those final moments that brings us great peace.
Thank you, Caring Pathways, and thank you, Dr. Kira, for being the angel the three of us so desperately needed in those last moments.
