Brando is a social dude, and one of his favourite things is to develop relationships with all the people he meets along the way. Brando’s family told us he wanted to thank three of those special people who made his stay in Calgary that much more fun.
First up, Brando wants to give a huge shout out to our very own VP, Tatiana Alexanian. She showed up nearly every day Brando was in treatment to take him on walks… most times more than once! She gave Brando a chance to get out of the clinic environment for a brain break to go sniff things, pee on stuff, and to just be a dog. Those walks really helped Brando’s mental health during treatment, and helped him miss his family just a little less. She also sent a treasure trove of photos and videos from those walks to Brando’s mom, which greatly eased her mind knowing that Brando was getting exercise and love while he was away. Brando’s biggest thanks to Tatiana however, is for his beautiful plush hedgehog that he loves more than even food. Brando has a bit of an obsession with hedgehog stuffies, and likes to carry them on his walks, but had to take a break from them post surgery until his incision healed well enough to be able to bite, crunch, and suck on his favourite toy. Because of this, his mom didn’t pack any of his house hogs for his trip to Calgary. So when Tatiana showed up with a brand new one after he was cleared by his neurologist, IT. MADE. HIS. LIFE. His mom tells us that Brando STILL hasn’t put the hedgehog aside, has carried it on every walk since he’s been home, and also uses it as a pillow when he sleeps!
Next, remember Dr Stephanie Maloney from our post on initial diagnosis? Well, Brando sure does! Dr Maloney was in Calgary just after Christmas, and took time out of her busy schedule to visit Brando and check on how he was doing. As you can see from the photo, Brando was very happy to see his old friend, and thank her for being such an instrumental part of his journey through meningioma. It sure takes a special vet to fly across the country to see a former patient and give him a snuggle!
Brando insisted a direct quote be used for this third thank you: “to nice lady who do doggy Uber home to mom after grad, you gib good bacon snack, allow doggo naps on da consoles, and gib best ear scritches. Much wuv, Brando.” Brando’s mom tells us the nice lady was none other than her friend Steph Gratton… thank you Steph for getting Brando back to his family!
Brando, his mom, and all of us here at Ned’s Wish are very grateful to have such fantastic human beings on Brando’s side through his illness!
