Kermie was taken to the vet for her terrible breath a month after her owner stationed her. It was bad news that Kermie had cancer. Although Kermie was only expected to live for two to three months, she had other intentions. She resisted passing away until her owner’s nine-month assignment ended and he came home.    

 Eric Ralston, a primary sanitarium corpsman in the US Navy, was stationed there in March. When his wife realized Kermie, an 11-year-old Lab-Beagle-Chow Chow mix, had developed truly terrible breath, she took Kermie in for a checkup a month after he was stationed. 

Kermie was found to have oral carcinoma following an examination, and the stagers estimated that he only had two to three months to live. To put it mildly, we were crushed, said Jennifer Ralston. Eric would never get to see Kermie again because she was our first child. However, Kermie wasn’t prepared to bid Eric goodbye before saying goodbye. 

 

After three months had passed and Kermie was still alive, the family started to have hopes that maybe he would see Eric again as Eric’s employment was coming to an end. They were committed to assisting her in her final encounter with Eric. 

 

Additionally, Eric’s deployment was extended 12 days before he was meant to return home. The Ralstons worried that Kermie wouldn’t survive until Christmas when Eric would eventually return home as the leaves were coming. But Kermie persisted in defying the odds. Eric went back to his house a few days before Christmas, and Kermie was there. She was seen on camera racing from the house into Eric’s arms while wearing a red arc. Kermie felt like she was on her last legs before Eric’s return, but with him she had new life. “His return was some kind of magic lozenge for her,” Jennifer remarked. She recommenced eating and drinking without resistance. In January, Kermie would shortly turn 12 years old, but by February, things had changed for the worse. “When good days and good hours came, we knew it was time,” said Jennifer. Kermie lost her fight with cancer on February 22. She was surrounded by Eric and the rest of her family.