Q: Is this book about more than a dog’s experience with cancer? If so, what additional themes are present in this book?
Last Summer with Oscar is a poignant story filled with meaning and spiritual insights. Many themes are present.
- As test results indicated an absence of malignancy when Oscar died, the results are significant for veterinary science;
- The answers to many of life’s most challenging issues are waiting to be discovered. These truths may be learned through prolonged experiences of connectedness to each other;
- Oscar’s inner strength, and his profound will and determination to press on despite his limitations were inspiring to all who contributed to his story; and,
- Love motivated him, and our bond of love empowered my husband and me as we walked through each season of the journey.
Q: Who would be interested in reading this story?
I hope this book will be a keepsake for all animal lovers and those who believe in the potential of humanity. Also, those who have cancer may find the research about the Slippery Elm tree and the Graviola tree to be both fascinating and important.
Q: What do you hope your readers will gain from your book?
Perhaps most of all, I hope that many will feel renewed after reading this book. After living through all of these experiences, I believe even more that “It can be done,” and I wish the same for others.
Q: How would you describe your participation in this journey with Oscar as the “teacher” and you as his “student?”
There were many moments when I felt in awe of him. I felt as if I was in the presence of divine wisdom. Oscar had such high expectations for me! He trusted me so much, and I didn’t want to let him down. I also felt empowered by his example of living.
Q: What are two of life’s major lessons that may be learned in this book?
There are many lessons conveyed throughout the story, but there are two in particular that are significant:
- Everyone deserves to hope! And,
- If we grow in love, we may expect to love always.
Q: What makes the death of a dog such a difficult experience for us?
The purity of love from a dog to its owner comes from a deep, intuitive bond that creates a high quality relationship. Dogs warm our hearts with their ability to love, and they become much-adored family members. The owner hopes and anticipates being able to return the love over the lifetime of the dog. However, a sudden health issue may shatter the owner’s natural expectancy of lifelong love and attachment. Similar to what we experience when a “human” family member becomes ill, a dog’s cancer interrupts the cycle of love, leaving the owner with feelings of helplessness, vulnerability and grief.
Q: You seem to be a rather private person, and yet in this book you share so much about yourself. Why is that?
I wanted the reader to be able to trust me.
Q: Finally, why did you write this book?
Writing this book was very personal to me. I wanted so very much to be able to share what Oscar and I learned together!
I hope that others will be able to benefit from the effective combination of remedies we discovered, and that new avenues of research into dog cancer will result from these truths. I hope that the appendices will be a source of information and a workbook for those who have pets sick with cancer. It is my greatest hope they will be made well, and that one day, by all of us working together, veterinary medicine will be able to effectively treat and cure dog cancer.