Suleika Says She's 'Smitten' Again!
- Bestselling author and wife of Jon Batiste, Suleika Jaouad, is battling leukemia for a second time and shared that she is loving her cancer therapy dog, River.
- A little quality time with a sweet dog can go a long way when you're undergoing cancer treatment, experts say.
- Jaouad recently completed a round of chemo and had a bone marrow biopsy to treat her leukemia.
Despite being in love with the incredible performer Jaouad has a new love, too: Her cancer therapy dog, River.
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Partner Jon Batiste wasn’t jealous, though; he even commented with four hearts underneath the photo. Other fans and friends were loving Joaouad’s announcement and proclamation of love for her canine companion. Instagram user @esmewwang writes, “I love you and I love River, whom I hope I get to meet â¤ï¸.” And @Buckguy74 remarks on the love people can have for their pets, writing, “Every time I've lost a dog, I've said I didn't think I wanted another one because I didn't think it would be as good or as lovable as the one I lost. I'm on my 7th pup & I love her to death !! Each dog had something different to give.”
What is a Cancer Therapy Dog?
Love of dogs is universal, and cancer therapy or cancer support dogs offer something special: Extra support during a health battle like cancer.
Cancer therapy dogs or cancer service dogs, like Jaouad's dog River, are trained to help people with cancer feel better emotionally and physically. A cancer therapy dog helps a person going through cancer treatment by reducing anxiety and lifting a person's mood. In short, cancer therapy dogs primarily provide comfort and support through cancer.
Studies show that spending time with dogs lowers a person's blood pressure and the stress hormone cortisol. Therapy dogs may help with pain management, too, as time with dogs can trigger a release of endorphins which mitigate pain and discomfort.
Anecdotal evidence from SurvivorNet's experts says that having a positive mood through cancer can benefit treatment. And scientific evidence around depression and cancer show that treating depression positively impacts cancer treatment. This is where aids like cancer therapy dogs can play a tremendous role. However, for more severe cases of anxiety and depression, speak to a psychologist before pursuing treatment or support from a furry friend.
Jane Kopelman, who heads the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's Caring Canine Program, said during a previous interview with SurvivorNet that they're hoping to get more pups involved in the program because patients request them so often.
"What most patients say, and studies have proven, is that the dogs reduce anxiety, reduce depression, and they give people a sense of hopethey often motivate people," Kopelman said. "Patients have said that they were so eager to have the dogs come that it motivated them to get up."
The dogs can visit patients who are in the hospital after undergoing surgery and also visit outpatient locations where patients may be undergoing treatment like chemotherapy.
If you're interested in pursuing a cancer therapy dog, speak with your doctor about next steps, or organizations to connect with that train these types of dogs. Note that waiting lists for service dogs tend to be long and their training period is long, too, so time is of the essence if you wish to get a service dog.
Pet Therapy Can Really Help During Cancer Treatment: "It Takes Me Out of My World"
Suleika’s Leukemia Battle
Jaouad first battled leukemia in her early 20s, and again today in her early 30s.
Partner Jon Batiste has supported her through her health battle. Jaouad had a bone marrow transplant for treatment for her most recent bout of cancer. A bone marrow transplant is a treatment used for some cancers, like leukemia. It replaces bone marrow with healthy cells; it is also called a "stem cell transplant."
Removing Bone Marrow Before A Transplant
Dr. Nina Shah, a SurvivorNet adviser and hematologist at the University of California San Francisco, explains in an earlier interview how to best understand leukemia. "One cell got really selfish and decided that it needed to take up all the resources of everybody else, and in doing so, took up space and energy from the rest of the body," Dr. Shah says.
"In general having a blood cancer means that your bone marrow is not functioning correctly," she explains. "And when your bone marrow doesn't function correctly it means that you can have something happen to you like anemia. Or you can have low platelets, which makes it possible for you to bleed easily. Or your immune system is not functioning correctly."
Speaking with Vogue magazine in an interview earlier this year, the Princeton University graduate said of her cancer, "I, today, am actually doing well. I believe I'm on day plus-32 post transplant and I've been out of the hospital for almost exactly a week," she tells the magazine. She says she learned her illness was back in November of last year.
The New York City native says, "It's so incredibly rare, I think less than 1% of patients, according to my doctor, relapse 10 years after a bone marrow transplant. When my oncologist called me, she was in tears. Not just my world, but my partner's world and my family's world completely imploded. We had a weekend to pack up all of our things, to find temporary homes for our dogs, to find a borrowed apartment in New York City, and for me to begin chemo."
Understanding the Different Types of Leukemia
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