Jake's amazing journey

DENVER - Mike Blake will tell you that his 8-year-old yellow lab, Jake is more than just a dog. He is a loyal friend that is always there to greet Mike at the end of a long work day and when Jake's tail starts wagging, even a difficult day seems a little bit better.

"They're really just a family member at that point," says Mike.

So when Mike noticed a lump on Jake's front right leg this past April, he was more than a little concerned. When Mike first noticed the lump it was the size of a marble. Four weeks later it had grown to the size of a golf ball and a visit to a veterinarian confirmed Mike's worst fear.

Jake had cancer.

Worse still was the prognosis. The veterinarian gave Jake two to four months to live.

There was an option. The Colorado State University Veterinary Hospital in Fort Collins is doing a clinical trial on dogs with cancer. They are testing cancer drugs. And Jake fit into their trial requirements. But it meant Mike would have to drive Jake to CSU every Monday morning for his treatments. For Mike it was an easy decision.

But it wasn't the only decision Mike made. He decided that in whatever time Jake had left, the two would spend each day living life to its fullest.

"It's very much about living in the present and appreciating the things you have right now," says Mike.

He started taking Jake out everyday to a different place and took photographs of him. The images chronicled their adventures and told a story about the live of Jake and Mike. The story unfolded on a blog Mike created at www.thatsoftdog.com.

There are pictures of Jake at different parks in Denver, in front of public art around town and at places like Red Rocks Amphitheater. There is also a photo of Jake sitting on the 20 yard line of Invesco Stadium.

The photos make a bucket list of sorts for Mike and Jake.

"It kind of turned into this exploratory journey, where it was like where can we go today or what can we write about or where can I take him today that he's never been or maybe some places that I've never been," says Mike.

They also met new people along the way. One of them told Jake's story to Anne Gillespie, a registered nurse at the Children's Hospital. Gillespie is also the founder of YAPS, or Youth And Pet Survivors. The program matches children battling health challenges with pets do the same thing.

"It's very comforting for a child to know that an animal is dealing with the same thing," says Gillespie.

The goal of the program is for the child and pet, with the help of the pet owner to become pen pals.

The only obstacle in accepting Jake into the program was his prognosis. For obvious reasons, they look for pets that have completed their treatments and have expectations for a good outcome.

Jake was still being treated as part of the clinical trial and veterinarians weren't sure about his prognosis.

But when Anne learned more about Jake and Mike and their outlook on life, the decision was an easy one.

"And then I just gave that up and thought, you know this dog has a lot to offer," says Gillespie. "I didn't want a child to miss the opportunity to learn from Jake and to share Jake's journey."

She found the perfect pen pal partner for Jake in a little boy named Will Willer. Will has been fighting his own battle with cancer for eight years and just like Jake, gets his chemo treatments on Monday morning.

They were two separate stories running parallel to one another.

"Part of it is just timing," says Michelle Willer, Will's Mom. "The fact that they're both Monday morning kids and thinking about Jake being up there at the same time, it hit home with Will."

The two have shared many e-mails in the months since. They tell each other about places they've been and things they've done. Will gets the chance to see the photos of Jake's travels.

"Will sees that there's no reason to stop," says Gillespie. "That life is meant to be lived."

Jake is now six months removed from his prognosis of two to four months and as a result of the treatment in the clinical trial - the golf ball sized tumor is gone. Veterinarians are closely monitoring Jake to make sure the cancer doesn't come back.

Will has started middle school and is doing well.

Jake has taught both Will and Mike an important lesson of life.

"You do wake up everyday with kind of a different appreciation for what you have with the people and things you love around you and how much time you spend with them," says Mike.

The YAPS program is just one of the things that makes the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at the Children's Hospital a kid-friendly place.

To learn more about how you can help kids with cancer, contact Marylou Houston at 720-777-1723 or mhouston@tchfden.org.