My First Interferon Week: A Glimpse into the Pet Therapy Experience

At 4:30 today, I will finish my first week of interferon.

At 4:30 – a mere five hours from when I’m writing this – I get to walk out of that horrid chemo room and have two whole days without blood tests, IVs, a stream of doctors and nurses… just home with my boys! (Okay, the chemo room isn’t that bad. Everyone gets their own little cubby with a recliner, and they bring you blankets and drinks. But. Still.)

Though this week has been rough, rough, rough, I had an unexpected but pleasant surprise: I was visited by a therapy dog!

That scruffy little girl is Molly Brown, and she visits the oncology wards at the hospital where I’m doing my treatment. They have 25 therapy dogs, all of which are Cairn terriers and Westies because the woman told me they’re hypoallergenic. (I haven’t researched this, but… can anyone verify whether or not that’s true? I was thinking that she just meant they don’t shed, but when I looked at their pet therapy program, those are the only two breeds they allow in… thoughts??)

Anyway, when they wheeled her in I was super excited to have a dog there, a little fuzz ball I could pat for a moment. It was different from Emmett’s and my experiences because this little gal couldn’t walk on the floor – she was wheeled in the wheelchair – and her person had to hold her while the patients patted her. I wanted her on my lap! Boo!

While I was really happy to have a dog there, it gave me a patient’s perspective on therapy dogs, something that I never could have had as just a handler. I took away some thoughts for do’s and don’ts for the future, especially if Emmett and I ever work with patients getting chemo.

This hasn’t been an easy week, but having Molly Brown visit definitely helped! Well, that and my guys crawling into bed to snuggle me every day when I get back from the hospital!

Have a great weekend, everyone!