Henri continues to thrive.

Dear Friends,

 

Well, things are slowly settling down for me and I am attempting to catchup. The past 6-months have been incredibly challenging for our family. I had my third hip surgery which was unsuccessful. Bella, our 7-yo Westie, reacted poorly to Mommy being ill. So we had to deal with several stress related issues with her. By nature, Bella is a worry wart so it is not surprising she struggled when I was having problems. Now, she is her normal self again (running around barking at squirrels or anything else that moves and unloading the toy box) but it took some anti-anxiety medication to get her back on track. And as you might imagine, with Addison's Disease, you don't want to ignore stress issues. Henri was his happy-go-lucky self, not stressing about much at all. Although, he added to our stress with having a few secondary infections (thanks to his immunosuppressive meds) that were tough to get rid of. Luckily, Henri is a very compliant patient...He takes everything in stride. Now, everyone seems to be headed (knock on wood) in the right directions which is very good news.

 

Next week, Henri goes in for blood work to monitor his IMHA remission, Crohn's and rabies immunity. He has been doing very well. Last week, he went to his Godmother's house (Jeannette) for a few days. He got to run around her yard showing off all his soccer skills. You kick the ball and he weaves it back to you. Jeannette, probably, has a very sore leg as Henri will do this for hours on end. Henri came home tired, happy and with half her yard in his furnishings. The boy loves to play soccer and love is an understatement.

 

Bella and Henri have been enjoying the spring weather. Most sunny days, you will find them cooking themselves on the back deck. In fact, Jeff got on Google maps to look at our property and found 2 white dots on our back deck---even Google knows! In the cool mornings, when Henri hears the heat come on, he goes the nearest heat duct and lays over it. He has been doing this since he was a pup. See pics attached. There is a heat duct between their crates. Henri pushes the toys out, hops on it and usually falls asleep. So sweet!!

 

Thanks to each of you for your support. The Helping Henri Medical Fund continues to assist us in caring medically for Henri. Henri's IMHA story continues to give hope to others battling this disease. I continue to participate in supporting owner's with newly diagnosed IMHA dogs via an on-line support group. With a mortality rate of >50%, some studies suggest 90%, Henri's story is a ray of light..he is a miracle. We are happy to share if it will ease the journey of another.

 

Henri sends his super power-washing kisses of gratitude!

 

Sincerely,

Ella and Henri