| It’s been a little over a week since I said goodbye to by best friend in the world, Ralph Lauren. In my time reflecting on the events leading up to and following his death, what I keep coming back to is my experience with Caring Pathways. We were fortunate to welcome the very gifted Dr. Nicole Masterson into our home. The minute she showed up, she found me on the floor, crying over my very sick buddy. She immediately put her supplies to the side, joined us on the floor, gently greeted him, told him he was a good boy, and then made compassionate eye contact with me and said, “he is very tired.” I needed that confirmation more than anything, and I think Dr. Nicole could sense that I needed her to validate that I was making the right decision. My mind played plenty of tricks on me in those final hours, even though my gut already knew what Dr. Nicole was able to confirm. He was done. She walked us through each step of what she planned to do, always stopping and answering our questions and calming our hearts. When we laughed, she laughed. When we were still, she was still. She met us (both humans and dog) exactly where we were and brought peace and serenity (I can’t believe I’m saying that, but I really do mean it) to such a heart-wrenching moment in our lives. We never for a second felt rushed – we felt seen and understood. I am truly blown away by how perceptive and respectful Dr. Nicole was, and how much of our stress and sadness she actually alleviated. The night before we said goodbye to Ralphie, I tearfully scrolled through these testimonials at 3:00am, and I hoped we’d have half as good of an experience as others did. Honestly, it was better. Thank you endlessly, Caring Pathways. We are forever indebted. |
