Buddha, Chandra and Julian

[Nina]

Chandra and Julian, I'm so, so sorry to hear about Buddha passing.  The week of him being back to his old self was such a wonderful gift for all of you!  I know that you cherished every minute of it.  My sweet little Molly, the second of my felv litter to pass also had a tumor behind her eye that caused it to bulge.  She wasn't with me, she had been adopted out before we knew of her status.  The family she went to had been struggling so hard to help her get well and were on their way to the vet's when her eye burst from the pressure of the tumor.  I only tell you this so you won't ever feel that your decision to help Buddha cross was the most loving thing you could have done for him.  Everyone on this list knows that it doesn't matter how long, or short our time together is, we are never ready to say goodbye to our sweet loved ones with fur.  You three have such a strong connection, it lives on still.  I have no doubt that Buddha will somehow make his presence known to you to let you know that he's once again, healthy, happy and has never left you.  Keep your heart and mind open to the signs that he continues to love you and that someday you'll be together again.  Don't be surprised if another needy angel shows up at your door.  I'm betting Buddha is bragging about you in Heaven. Much love to you in your sorrow, Nina chandra simms wrote: Michele and all the wonderful members of this group, I am sorry I have not written in a while, but it was a very hard holiday and I haven't really had the emotional strength to post until now. The last time I posted, Buddha was having his best week since being diagnosed with lymphoma at the beginning of December. He was back to his old self and acting as if he was feeling fine, however four days before Christmas he took a serious turn for the worst. The tumor behind his eye quickly began to cause the eye to bulge and protrude out of the socket and the pressure it put on his little brain began to effect his other neurological functions. He completely lost his appetite, the ability to see in either eye, and to walk. Although he was conscious, he was fairly catatonic and had pretty much completely checked-out by that point. We talked to the vet and she said that there was no getting better from that point and also that the eye would soon either pop out on its own, or we would have to have it removed, which we did not want to him to have to go through. So on the 23rd we made the excruciating decision to help him let go. My mother lives about 45 minutes away in Denton, so we buried him in the yard at her house and decided to just spend the week there. Neither Julian or I were anxious to get home and begin the process of packing away Buddha's things. Having all the visiting family in town really helped to provide a slight distraction, especially since I couldn't go much more than five minutes without crying for the first 2 days. Although I knew this time would eventually come and I was able to gather so much strength from all the advice and good wishes from this group over the past month, I was completely unprepared for the amount of grief I felt. Since he lived so long without any symptoms I think I was in denial that the day would ever actually come. I am almost ashamed of how lucky I feel to have had him in my life for 14 years, and my heart truly bleeds for those of you who lost your friends sooner and didn't have as much time together as we did. I will be forever grateful to all the members of this list and honestly don't think I could have endured the pain that the last month brought without you. I don't know how to go about it or if it is too late, but I would like for Buddha's name to be added to next Monday's candle light memorial service. If it is still possible that is. Could someone please tell me who I should contact for that. Once again, on behalf of Buddha, Julian and myself, thank you all so much! --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thinking of him and hoping he is still feeling better. Please give us an update when you get a chance. Having been through the rollercoaster of lymphoma several times, I really feel for you and Jen, who has Ewok, and think about Buddha and Ewok multiple times throughout the day. I hope he is still feeling well, but know there are so many ups and downs. Please let us know how he is when you get a chance. Thinking of the two of you, Michelle Love is not necessary to life, but it is what makes life worth living. __________________________________________ Yahoo! DSL – Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com