08/24/2026
This past week has been one of the hardest weeks of my life. ❤️🩹
Recovery from having an ovarian mass removed has been much harder than I expected. The mass was the size of a baby’s head, and my body has been through a lot. I’ve been dealing with fevers, severe stomach pain, and now another infection/possible UTI on top of everything else. There have been countless doctor appointments, medications, and days when simply resting is all I can manage.
Unfortunately, I had to go back to the hospital over the weekend because the pain became unbearable. The pain medication has also been making me feel disconnected, almost like I’m not even here, which has been frightening and difficult to cope with.
But through all of this, I keep thinking about how incredibly grateful I am—for my life, for what I do, and especially for the people and animals I get to do life with.
I joke all the time that I’m “just a pet sitter,” but the truth is, these animals and their families mean so much more to me than that. 🐾
Even while recovering, I’ve gotten to spend time with sweet Luna, who I see every week and truly feels like family. Somehow, she just knew. She knew when to be gentle, when I needed comfort, and when I needed a little bit of her goofy personality to make me smile. There’s something so special about the love animals give us when we need it most.
I’ve found myself crying thinking about how different this week could have looked if I were still working somewhere where I had to worry about sick days, PTO, or taking a leave of absence. Instead, the business and community we’ve built have given me the ability to slow down, focus on healing, and let my body recover.
My husband deserves his own appreciation post because he has been an absolute trooper. 😂❤️ He’s been up every 2–3 hours helping with medications, cooling pads, heating pads, making sure I’m positioned correctly, keeping me comfortable, and doing anything and everything he can to help me through this.
And then there’s my team.
I cannot thank my team enough for stepping up while I’ve been going through all of this. They have taken on extra responsibilities, cared for our clients’ babies, helped with scheduling and communication, and made sure Pepper Paws continues running while I focus on getting better.
Knowing that something I care so deeply about is in such caring and capable hands has taken an enormous weight off my shoulders. I truly could not do this without them.
And I can’t talk about this week without talking about family. ❤️
To my family who has been by my side through the pain, the hospital visits, the tears, the scary moments, and everything in between—thank you.
But this week has also reminded me that family doesn’t always mean blood.
There are people in my life who aren’t technically family who showed up more than I ever could have imagined. People who checked on me, brought us food, offered help, prayed for me, helped with the business, cared for our animals, and simply made sure I knew I wasn’t alone.
Sometimes family is the person who shares your last name.
And sometimes family is the person who simply shows up.
You don’t forget the people who show up when life gets hard. This week has shown me just how big my family really is. ❤️
And then there’s our incredible community.
I don’t think everyone who has donated to our Meal Train realizes how much it has actually helped us. Between recovery, pain, infections, medications, and going back and forth to doctors, we genuinely haven’t had the time or energy to think about cooking.
Having a meal show up and knowing that one little thing is already taken care of has meant more than I can explain.
A huge thank you to Leah for creating the Meal Train in the first place—and then kicking it off with the most delicious sweet potato soup and homemade biscuits. 🥹❤️
To our clients, friends, family, team, and everyone who has checked on me, sent something, brought food, prayed for us, helped Pepper Paws keep moving, or simply given me the space to recover: thank you.
I never imagined seeing a community come together like this just to make sure their pet sitter was taken care of.
It has reminded me that Pepper Paws has become so much more than a business to me. These aren’t just clients. These aren’t “just pets.” And so many of these people aren’t “just friends.”
They’re family.
Since I’m still dealing with another infection, severe pain, and ongoing doctor visits, we are continuing the Meal Train for anyone who genuinely wants to help. Please never feel obligated—your messages, prayers, and simply checking in mean more to us than you know. ❤️
Thank you for taking care of me, supporting my husband and my team, feeding us, praying for us, loving us, and helping us get through one of the hardest weeks of our lives.
I spend so much of my life taking care of everyone else’s babies.
This week, you all helped take care of me. 🐾❤️
https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/75nmkm
