A Day in the Life of ...
In the hush quiet of a hospital room illuminated by soft overhead lights,
Dani the Beagle sits in her owner's lap with her front left paw extended.
Her half-lidded chestnut brown eyes smile softly at Silvia Cortez, a five-year-old cancer patient,
who stares sweetly back from the edge of her hospital bed."
Without a word, Silvia opens the fingernail polish bottle and begins brushing even strokes of emerald green on Dani's toenails.
Dani lets out a big yawn when Silvia finishes the fourth nail but stays still.
It's Thursday afternoon at Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles and Dani, the therapy dog, is on the job.
Silvia is her last patient of the day and one of her long-time favorites.
The pair met nearly three years ago when Silvia was admitted for a rare form of pediatric ovarian cancer.
She has been in and out of Cedars-Sinai -- more in than out -- ever since for treatment.
Four months into the job as a tail-wagging, smile-evoking therapy dog, Dani developed cancer.
A fast-growing tumor on her back right leg was detected during a weekly bath by her owner,
Lauri Seamark, a childlife specialist at the cancer center.
While undergoing chemotherapy, Dani experienced many of the symptoms of the children she visits weekly:
fatigue, nausea and discomfort. She lost her appetite, a rarity for this burger-loving beagle.
But doctors declared Dani cancer-free in November 1998 and she has been back on the job ever since.
The Thursday routine begins with a bath, followed by a thorough ear cleaning and nail trimming inside a one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles.
Dani shares the place with Dexter, a beagle puppy; Dallas, a dog-tolerant cat and Seamark,
who provides emotional support and operates a summer camp for children and their families at Cedars-Sinai.
"Come on, Dani! It's time to put on your bandana and medical ID tags," calls Seamark.
The pair hop into Seamark's blue Escort and make the two-mile trek to the cancer center.
Dani pokes her muzzle out the back right window and sniffs the air.
Her tail begins throttling back and forth as they approach the customary lunch stop:
Tail of the Pup, a hot dog/hamburger stand within view of the cancer center.
"So, what will it be, Dani? The usual?" asks owner Dennis Blake, leaning out the order window.
"Yes," responds Seamark, answering on Dani's behalf.
"A hamburger patty please, bottle of water and a fork and knife."
As Dani and Seamark enjoy their respective burgers at an outdoor table, a man in a blue jacket,
wipes hamburger grease from his face, points at Dani and states,
"Hey! Isn't that the dog I've seen running around at the hospital?"
Seamark nods. Dani gives a quick glance and then returns her full attention to the final forkful of hamburger heading her way.
The elevator doors open to the basement level.
That's Dani's cue to waddle out and make a sharp left turn into the children's cancer clinic.
Her muzzle opens into a tongue-hanging-out grin.
"Dani! Dani!" shrieks a young girl bounding with open arms.
Dani stops, sits and waits for the friendly head pats and full body hugs.
Then Seamark drops the leash and the friendly game of chase begins.
The little girl and Dani return minutes later, sweating but smiling.
Dani strolls into the playroom, filled with walls of video games, books, arts and crafts,
plus a rectangular table with child-size blue plastic chairs.
Dani grabs a few licks from a bowl of water before seven-year-old Christopher Perez approaches.
While Perez awaits test results to determine if his blood count is strong enough to be hospitalized for another round of chemotherapy,
Dani provides the pooch-perfect source of distraction.
"That's it, Dani, sit," says Christopher as he gives Dani a tasty dog treat. "Okay, now beg. Shake."
With each command, Dani gulps down another treat.
"Doctors removed a cancerous tumor in Christopher's kidneys last August," explains his mother, Carmina Perez, of Van Ness, CA.
"Dani brings a lot of joy to my boy."
The phone rings in the playroom.
The call alerts Christopher that his test results are ready.
Christopher looks nervously at his mother and then relaxes as he bends down and pats Dani's back.
He hooks the leather leash and together, they head down the corridor to see the doctors.
As Christopher gets the news that he is strong enough to be hospitalized for what is hopefully, his final chemotherapy treatment,
Dani nestles next to him on the examination table shaped like a giant blue plastic hippopotamus.
Baring her belly, Dani convinces Christopher to give her a tummy rub while
Dr. Liliana Sloninsky, M.D. explains the upcoming procedure to him and his mother.
Minutes later, Dani is sporting a Michael Jordan shiny red Chicago Bulls jersey and providing some cheer to Malan Boswell,
a basketball-loving nine-year-old with acute lymphocystic leukemia.
As Malan tickles Dani's belly, her back left leg twitches and she starts snorting.
"Dani, you're so spoiled," teases Malan as doctors give a medical update to his grandmother, Denise Martin.
"Malan has been coming in here since birth and he looks forward to Thursdays when he can play with Dani," says Martin.
A half-hour later, Dani snoozes in the back corner of the playroom,
amid the gleeful chatter of a handful of children drawing pictures and laughing at the antics of a Pokemon video.
Then James Choi enters the playroom sporting a Los Angeles Dodger blue baseball cap.
His face illuminates when he spots Dani. Quietly, he approaches and awakens her by softly calling her name.
Moments later, the fully alert Dani is wolfing down treat after treat as
James practices his limited English with commands of "catch," "sit," and "stay."
"James came here from Korea after it was discovered he had liver cancer and he needed to come here for treatment," explains his aunt, Nicole Lee.
"He was scared when he came here, but Dani helps him to relax."
Seamark gets the call that Silvia is awake from her afternoon nap and awaits Dani.
"Let's go, Dani, last stop of the day -- Silvia's room," says Seamark as Dani picks up the pace and heads for Room 5.
Lauri hoists Dani in her lap as Silvia reaches out and lightly fingers Dani's ears, head and muzzle.
In honor of St. Patrick's Day, Seamark hands Silvia a bottle of green nail polish.
For next 15 minutes, Silvia forgets about her IV bags, the hospital monitor and the rigors of living with cancer.
She focuses on giving Dani a manicured look of green.
Dani lets out a pleasurable snort when Silvia tickles her belly before bidding farewell.
"Dani looks forward to seeing you next Thursday, Silvia," says Lauri as
Dani gives a final smiling glance at the little girl and waddles out the door.
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