I am sitting here in a rented extended stay apartment room in Sierra Vista, Arizona. I’ve been here a week. The reason I am here is a long story. The shortened version is that about six weeks ago my dog Quinn was diagnosed with “your dog is going to be blind ”, and I am just days away from flying to Israel for a week, and while I am away, I am leaving her with my friends Sean & Lisa. They used to watch Murray and Madison back in the day. Tony, you might remember them.
Anyway, it could be 6 months or it might be 2 years before Quinn is completely blind, there is no way of telling actually. In fact, there will come a point when Quinn is going to have to have her eyes removed. No getting around either. She has no sight in one eye and about 25% in the other. She is now and forever going to be on three different kinds of expensive eyedrops, and she goes in for pressure checks every two weeks or so to make sure the medication is keeping the pressures down.
I haven’t spent one night away from Quinn since my Hawaii trip to see you guys, and since discovering her irreversible degenerative glaucoma, i haven’t spent a minute away from her. Lots of eyedrops, lots of love, lots of fear, lots of crying. To make matters harder, I’ve had this big trip to Israel planned to see my sister, and it feels like the world is crashing in all around me. I am really fretting having to leave her for so long.
So, I have driven 1000 miles to Sierra Vista Arizona to my friends Sean and Lisa’s house so that they can watch Quinn while I am away. They are both retired. I took this journey to ensure that Quinn will be in the very best hands possible. Lots of friends offered to watch her which I was appreciative of, but Sean and Lisa make up the best overall package. I’m a nut, I know.
On Christmas day, at 3:30am, I will be leaving Dog, driving 90 miles to the Tucson airport and leaving my car. Then flying to the San Jose airport. Then taking a train to the San Francisco airport. At 6:30pm on Christmas Night, from SFO, I fly to israel. Actually Turkey, and then onto Tel Aviv. Eight days later, with the same set of obstacles, I make the return trip back to Sierra Vista, AZ where I will finally be reunited with Quinnie.
The final countdown is upon us and I feel like one of the loneliest humans the earth affords. Today is December 23rd, and from this run down extended stay apartment, where my heart and soul are consumed with the well being of my canine, I’m sitting here typing you guys this letter, not only wishing you a Merry Christmas and all that jazz, but offering up what remains of my very best.
