The Village that showed up

One of the things that has humbled me most during this journey has been the incredible generosity of the veterinary ophthalmology community.

When I realized I would be hospitalized for weeks and unable to care for my patients, I sent an email to the ACVO listserv asking if anyone would be willing to provide relief coverage at Veterinary Vision Specialists.

The response has been overwhelming.

Doctors from across the country have reached out offering to rearrange their schedules, obtain Virginia licenses, leave their own practices and families, and travel to Richmond simply to help me keep VVS open while I fight leukemia.

I honestly don't have words to express how grateful I am. Every email, every phone call, and every offer of support has reminded me why I love this profession so much. Thank you to every colleague who has reached out. Your kindness has meant more than you know.

Unfortunately, there was one painful exception.

The email I sent asking for professional help was shared outside of the intended recipients and was sent to my ex-husband, despite an ongoing custody case involving the safety of my children. Learning that a request for professional support became part of that situation was deeply disappointing.

I won't let one person's actions overshadow what I have experienced from everyone else.

The overwhelming majority of this profession has shown me compassion, integrity, generosity, and love. That is what I will choose to remember.

To every doctor who offered to help, every technician who checked in, every client who has prayed for me, and every friend who has supported Veterinary Vision Specialists while I fight this battle:

Thank you.

You are helping carry me through the hardest season of my life.