06/09/2026
A few weeks ago, I was reminded just how quickly life can change.
On a Sunday, Tom and I moved into our new home in Middleton with our bed and a few pieces of furniture. Three days later, Tom was taken to the hospital and spent four days there following a cardiac event.
During that time, I dropped our dogs, Winston and Toby, off at doggy daycare while I focused on Tom. While Tom was being treated in Tampa, I received another call, Winston needed to be taken to the emergency vet.
Just two days after bringing Tom home from the hospital, we had to say goodbye to Winston.
Thankfully, Tom is doing well now and has had a heart monitor implanted to monitor him. But the past few weeks have been a powerful reminder that life doesn’t always unfold the way we expect and it certainly doesn’t stop when we are struggling.
The time we have with the people and pets we love never feels like enough. And sometimes, the things you never imagine happening to you become your reality in an instant.
We are so incredibly grateful for our amazing friends and family who checked in, offered support, and helped us through some very difficult days. And a special thank you to my team for holding things down at the office while I focused on my family. Knowing everything was being taken care of allowed me to be where I needed to be.
Through it all, I’ve been incredibly grateful for the disability and life insurance protection we have in place. We hope we never need it, but when life takes an unexpected turn, having those safeguards gave us comfort.
Most of all, this experience has reminded me how precious time is. Winston is deeply missed every day, and I find myself wishing for just a little more time with the people and pets we love. None of us knows what tomorrow will bring, so hold your loved ones close and don’t take the moments you have together for granted.
