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MODERN MIRACLES:
RHYS RISES TO THE CHALLENGE 
Kim Pitts fell in love with Ri-
dzong’s Drakyi Rhys Merak—“Rhys”— 
the moment shesaw him. Born October 1991, Rhys was a three-month-old stubborn, independent black puppy when he arrived at her Lakewood, California, home. Tibetan Mastiffs, a herd dogfrom Nepal, are known to be independent thinkers, devoted and loy
al, and Rhys didn’tdisappoint. “He considers the house, the cats, and my husband and me to be hisproperty,” says Kim, “and he takes his protection duties very seriously.” Rhys quicklybecame part of the family. But Kim didn’t realize just how much the bi
g 132-pound dogmeant to her until February 2000.
That’s when she noticed Rhys limping after their daily walk. “I thought he’d strainedor sprained something,” she says, “but the next day it wasn’t any better, so we took himto the vet.” Rhys went home after his X
-ray with a steroid shot to reduce pain and
swelling, and a pain patch. “The X
-
ray showed a tumor,” says Kim, “I knew that wasn’tgood.”
Kim had worked for the past twenty years with cancer patients as a critical-care
respiratory therapist. She’d also had another pet dog die of a bone tumor, and
she knew
what to expect. “Osteosarcoma is one of the most rapid, insidious cancers known toman or beast, and spreads to lungs,” she says. “Rhys is my son,” she says, “He’s been partof family for eight years. I thought I was going to die.”
 
Picture © Ltshears
 
 A chest X-ray showing that the lungs were still clear offered some hope. Kim made
an appointment with Dr. O’Brien to discuss treatment options. “The first option was to donothing,” says Kim. They’d give pain medicine only to keep Rhys comfortable as long as
possible. B
ut Dr. O’Brien expected the cancer to quickly erode the bone to the breaking
point, and spread throughout the body, and that Rhys would die or be put to sleepwithin three months. The second option was to amputate his leg and follow up withstandard chemotherapy. The third option was limb sparing, a bone transplant that
replaced the diseased tumor with donor bone. Kim was told Rhys’ otherwise excellent
health, the placement of the tumor, and the early diagnosis made him a perfectcandidate for this option. They would also implant an experimental biodegradablesponge impregnated with chemotherapy drugs to reduce the chance of the tumor coming back.
“There is no cure,” says Kim, “We know osteosarcoma comes back, maybe
tomorrow, next year, or three years from
now.” Their decision wasn’t about curing Rhys,
but about buying him additional quality of life. After 24 hours of total hysteria and tears,
Kim’s husband, Jerry, said, “You can’t go on like this. I don’t care how much it costs. We’ll
do everything to pres
erve his life.”
 The limb-sparing surgery occurred on March 5, 2000, which also happened to be
Kim and Jerry’s twelfth wedding anniversary. The couple considered it a wonderful
anniversary present for the whole family.
The hospital didn’t have a cage or k 
ennel large enough for Rhys, so they createda private critical-care recovery area just for him. He went home the day after thesurgery, with pain pills, a transdermal pain patch pasted on his skin, antibiotic pills, and abandage that covered him from toenails to shoulder. To Rhys, the worst part of thetreatment was the Elizabethan collar restraint that he had to wear to prevent him fromworrying the bandage. He returned for a bandage check each week 
 — 
it came off April30
 — 
and began monthly chemotherapy. His last chemo was Sunday, June 25, and thatsame day an X-ray of his chest showed his lungs were still clear.Rhys and his family continue to enjoy each day as it comes. He plays with the cats,does his Mastiff five-minute stutter-step romp, eats normally, and moves from room toroom, staying close to Kim and Jerry. The couple has spent more than $10,000 on his
treatment, and they wouldn’t hesitate to make the same decision again.“If you have animals, you take responsibility for taking care of them,” says Kim. “I
know Rhys is going to die. If I could give him more time, I would do it. But it has to be best
for him.” She doesn’t understand people who look at animals as “just pets.” “They are myfamily,” says Kim. “You take care of your family.”
 
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