Dear Dr. Forslund:
I wanted to write to you and send my sincerest appreciation for all that you did on my last day with my sweet Bear. Thank goodness I found you!! You were truly the Angel by our side to guide us through the final journey my sweet Bear and I would have. You helped make my worst day into something I can live with. I can be thankful that Bear’s passing was so compassionate and stress-free. It was my final gift to him for all of the love and devotion he gave to me through all the years we shared together.
Bear was my wonderful, loving canine, my constant companion, as I was his. We loved each other so very much and he was my best friend on earth!! He came into my life when he was just 5 weeks old, a rescue puppy. I remember when I first picked him up—his head was so big for his little body that I had to hold his head up so it wouldn’t fall over!! It was love at first sight! Bear was so full of life and so good natured and he had what I lovingly called his wayward gene. He would just do the craziest things. . . and I absolutely adored every single thing about him.
Bear loved the car and driving anywhere was his favorite thing. Every single day he and I would get in the car and go somewhere, even if it was just to go to the park for an hour. He would get so excited. I would ask him if he wanted to go Bye-Bye and he would cock his head and start jumping around and talking to me in his very demanding way, like, “Hurry up—let’s go!!!” When I learned that Bear had cancer I was just devastated. . . my world turned upside down. We started chemo right away, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. He responded very well in the beginning. In fact, he was so well that we started traveling again. We went to Idyllwild to a cabin for the weekend, where he could see the squirrels and rabbits and take long walks. We went to Cambria and he played in the ocean, saw the elephant seals, and had deer come right up to our house. He had no idea what they were, but he loved them!! We went on so many day trips those last days—I just didn’t know they were his last days. The cancer came back with a vengeance and when it became abundantly clear that there was nothing more to do, I knew I had to make that horrible, dreadful decision to let my Sweet Boy go.
That’s when my world went dark, but I knew in my heart I had to be strong for Bear and be there for him, so I found this amazing woman, Dr. Annie Forslund, this incredible angel of light! I wanted Bear’s last moments to be in his favorite place—yes, the car! I have a large SUV and he loved it when I would make a bed in the back of it! So that is exactly what I did, and we drove to a park together, for the last time. I brought him his favorite cheeseburgers and ice water and we sat with the back of the SUV open, and shared our lunch together. We watched the squirrels and rabbits, and then Dr. Forslund came and met us there. She walked up to me and I immediately knew I made the right decision in finding her. She was so thoughtful and spiritual, and her calming energy put me at such peace. Bear was also comforted with her there, and he simply fell asleep in my arms. He never knew anything, no stress, no discomfort, and he went to sleep with the angels. It could not have turned out any better and I am so thankful that I found Dr. Forslund!
I miss you, my Sweet Bear, with all my heart and soul and we will see each other again when we meet on the Rainbow Bridge.
BEAR
8/17/03 – 7/30/14
Love,
Shirley Myers
Canyon Lake