And we love them!!! We did the custom book because we were too lame to get our butts in gear and send our story off on time, but this way Rio gets to be on the cover!

This is what we sent in, since some of you asked:

Rio
Kingston, WA
I met Rio on Father’s Day 2000. We had just sold our home, and would be living in a 25-foot travel trailer for the next 9 months while we built a new house. We already had two large dogs. But, I fell in love with her sweet face!

In June of 2007, when I found a pea-sized lump in her armpit, the diagnosis of Mast Cell cancer was devastating. But, the statistics for this sort of cancer are pretty good…. Surgery usually is curative. However, a month or so after removal, Rio had another tumor in the same area. We scheduled a second surgery, thinking optimistically that this would be the final one. A third tumor appeared practically overnight. Another surgery, and as soon as the sutures were out, she started radiation therapy.

After a year of remission, I found another tumor in her neck. We opted for chemotherapy this time. She (mostly) breezed through chemo, and was cancer-free for two more years.

In December of 2010, I found another lump on the back of her leg. I convinced myself that it was another of her many lipomas, although I knew in my heart that the cancer had returned. Still, I was stunned when the oncologist said, “we’ll have to amputate.” February 8, 2011, Rio became a Tripawd, and underwent another round of chemo.

Rio was also diagnosed with Cushing’s disease in early 2011. Despite this additional setback, Rio has demonstrated what courage and resilience truly mean. She has never let cancer define her. She has never stopped being happy. She just keeps hopping along. She is the epitome of a Tripawd Warrior Princess!

http://riosmom......ipawds.com
“Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts -- it's what you do with what you have left.” ~Hubert Humphrey