Thank you for all of your prayers and wishes...

 

   

Gibby put up a valiant fight against the mast cell cancer.  We knew it would take her and we appreciated every day since our diagnosis in December as a gift with our dumpling.  She took a down-turn on Monday evening (2/25) and slipped into the next world just before midnight On Tuesday, February 26, 2008.

 

Rising Sun's Second Time Around (Gibson) was born at 1:18 am on December 5, 1996 to Dam: Loi San's Lady Magdalene of RS (Maggie) and Sire: Ch. Tzo Wen's Patriot Power (Bonner).  She was breach, number 6 of 7, and she had 2 sisters and 4 brothers; and she would make kissy noises when she nursed.  She first stood up and walked on 12/15/96, her eyes opened on 12/18/96, her tail curled up and wagged on 12/21/96 and she discovered her voice on 12/26/96.  On 12/23/96 we started to call her Gibby, convinced that she was our first Gibson reincarnated, as she gave kisses, licked the air and seemed to "know" things.  She and her oldest brother used to hang around together and gang up on their littermates.  As the rest of her litter all went to their new homes, she never left.  Her Uncle Bailey (HM Bailey of Rising Sun) was her true love, and they were inseparable until his death (Lymphoma) in 2004.  She lived to reach longevity (10 years - we have a nice certificate from the CSPCA), actually living to be three years older than her mother, who died in 2003 (Lymphoma).  She didn't let her Shar Pei Fevers or her Glaucoma get her too down...even as she lost her eyesight, she would growl to let the others know they were too close, but she'd still wiggle her bottom and give kisses when she realized it was a friendly intruder to her space.  She was a true survivor, having made it through some miraculous recoveries.  Not-the-least-of-which was the fight with Belinda in 2003.  She had 47 surgical staples and over 100 sutures holding her together...thanks to her best friend, Dr. Loeven, she came through with flying colors!  In 2007, at almost 11 years old, she took and passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen test!

 

The Mast Cell came in December...with an egg-sized lump in her throat.  Between Christmas and the New Year, it had grown to the size of a very large grapefruit.  The tumor was removed, but it had encompassed a jugular vein, and there was just no way to get it all out...so...by February, it had started to grow back.  We began medications, which included western meds, natural supplements, chinese herbs and homeopathics.  On February 20th, she had her first dose of chemo.  One week later, her body gave in.  We knew that the cancer would take her, and that chemo was the only chance to give her more quality time.  There is a bittersweet solace in the fact that the chemo did not let her suffer, deterioriate and linger, the way the cancer would have.  That doesn't make it any easier to say good-bye.

 

Thanks again for all of your love,

 

Michelle & Matt