In an odd twist of fate, I am very glad that I didn’t read this book when I first received it. Several weeks ago my dog Jack, a lab mix, received the very same prognosis as Hannah – a large mass on his spleen. What we had assumed to be a pot belly from perhaps excessive late-night snacking turned out to be an 11 lb tumor (no joke). The vets had never seen a tumor this large in a dog his size before.

The fact that Jack’s spleen hadn’t ruptured was in and of itself a miracle. Time dragged on for what felt like eternity as we waited for the results of his several-hours-long surgery, and then days thereafter for the prognosis of the tumor. The weeks-long recovery from having lost more than half of his blood was absolutely terrifying. Learning that the tumor was benign was a blessing beyond anything I dared hope.

Unfortunately Hannah had not been so fortunate. In the midst of all the uncertainty and fervent prayers, it would have destroyed me to have read Hannah’s plight prior to our incredibly blessed and happy outcome. I feel so fortunate, and as a result of my own experience down the same road with Jack, this book tugged at my heart more than I could ever tell you.
Continue reading “Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace by Dave Burchett” →