Grief Support≡
Memorials≡
Boutique≡
JELLY
by PRISCILLA ANDERSON
IT WAS CHRISTMAS EVE DAY AND MY SON , MY BOYFRIEND AND MYSELF WERE GOING OUT ON A FISHING BOAT AT CAPE CANAVERAL, FL. FOR A FEW HOURS. WHEN WE WENT TO THE COUNTER TO PAY, THERE WAS A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE TIGER KITTEN BY THE REGISTER. THE MINUTE SHE SAW ME SHE JUMPED INTO MY ARMS AND CUDDLED AND CRAWLED ALL OVER ME. THE LADY SAID "I SURE WISH SOMEONE WOULD TAKE THIS CAT, SHE APPEARED HERE LAST NIGHT , SOMEONE MUST HAVE DROPPED HER OFF AND WE CANNOT KEEP HER. I PUT HER DOWN TO GET ON THE BOAT AND HER EYES LOCKED WITH MINE AND I WAS HOOKED. AS WE WENT OUT TO SEA I TOLD THE LORD THAT IF SHE WAS THERE WHEN WE RETURNED, I WOULD KNOW SHE WAS TO BE MINE. I WAS SO ANXIOUS TO RETURN AND SEE HER AGAIN. AS WE CAME INTO PORT AND I GOT OFF THE BOAT THERE SHE WAS, RIGHT WHERE I LEFT HERE, NEXT TO THE CASH REGISTER. I SCOOPED HER UP AND BROUGHT HER HOME TO MY APARTMENT IN PALM BAY, FL. I ALREADY HAD A KITTEN NAMED PEANUT BUTTER, WHO AT FIRST WAS NOT A HAPPY CAMPER. AFTER MUCH THINKING, MY SON JOKINGLY SAID NAME HER "JELLY", THINKING THAT I NEVER WOULD. WELL I DID NAME HER JELLY AND IT SUITED HER JUST FINE. THIS WAS IN 1990. OVER THE YEARS JELLY WAS A COMPLETE BLESSING, EVERY DAY WHEN I CAME HOME IT WAS JELLY AT THE DOOR GREETING ME AND THE LOVE SHE GAVE WAS NEVERENDING, SOMETIMES SHE DID NOT WANT TO EVEN SHARE ME WITH PEANUT BUTTER... SHE ALWAYS REQUIRED MY TOUCH AND MY VOICE TO BE HAPPY, AND ALL SHE EVER WANTED TO DO WAS GIVE LOVE. SHE LOVED HER PEANUT BUTTER ALWAYS, EVEN WHEN HE WAS LIKE A GRUMPY HUSBAND. THEY WERE INSEPARABLE. FROM 1990 UNTIL DECEMBER OF 2003 THINGS WERE SO WONDERFUL. THEN ONE NIGHT I WAS RUBBING HER TUMMY AND FELT SOME LITTLE LUMPS, I AM A NURSE AND WAS SO AFRAID. THE NEXT DAY I RUSHED HER TO MY VET AND A BIOPSY WAS DONE. IT WAS POSITIVE FOR BREAST CANCER. MY VET SAID THAT HE COULD SEND US TO A SPECIALIST IN MAITLAND, FL. SO WE RUSHED THERE, 100 MILES FROM MY HOME. TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT SHE HAD TWO MAJOR SURGERIES. SHE NEVER UNDERSTOOD THE LONG RIDES OR THE TIME AWAY FROM ME. WHEN SHE WOULD COME HOME SHE WOULD NOT LEAVE MY SIDE. SHE WOULD SLEEP UNDER THE COVERS NEXT TO ME ALL NIGHT. EVEN GRUMPY PEANUT BUTTER WAS SO TENDER WITH HER. SO FOR NEARLY A YEAR WE WENT BACK AND FORTH FOR RECHECKS, TOTAL COST OF ABOUT 3000 DOLLARS, I WOULD HAVE SOLD EVERYTHING TO SAVE HER...THEN IN DECEMBER OF 2003 WE GOT A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH FOR HER ABOUT THE BREAST CANCER, BUT THE VET SAID THERE IS A LITTLE SPOT ON HER TONGUE THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR REGULAR VET LOOK AT. I WAS REJOICING IN HER BREAST CANCER SUCCESS THAT I DID NOT HAVE ANY IDEA THE POSSIBLE DANGER OF THIS "SPOT"...SO WE HAD ANOTHER BIOPSY AND IT WAS SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA, NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BREAST CANCER, A WHOLE NEW ONE. I WAS TOLD THE PROGNOSIS WAS NOT GOOD. SO FROM DEC. OF 2003 UNTIL FEB. 8, 2004, JELLY AND I FOUGHT THIS DISEASE WITH EVERYTHING WE HAD. FINNALLY I WAS FEEDING HER BABYFOOD AND WATER WITH A SYRINGE, I WAS HOLDING HER EVERY MINUTE I COULD. I KNEW SHE WAS SUFFERING BUT SELFISHLY I COULD NOT LET HER GO. THEN ON SUNDAY FEB. 8 2004 I WOKE UP WITH HER NEXT TO ME AND THERE WAS BLOOD ON THE PILLOW FROM HER LITTLE MOUTH. I COULD NOT LET THIS GO ON. I SPENT A FEW HOURS HOLDING HER A TALKING TO HER AND THEN MY FRIEND CAME TO DRIVE US TO MY VET SO I COULD HOLD HER ALL THE WAY. MY FAVORITE VET "JUST HAPPENED" TO BE ON. AND AS I HELD HER PRECIOUS LITTLE BODY IN MY ARMS I HAD TO LET HER GO. IT HAS DEVESTATED ME. BUT I HAVE DONE MUCH RESEARCH AND I BELIEVE SHE WILL BE WAITING FOR ME WHEN I HAVE TO LEAVE HERE ALSO. EVERY DAY I THANK JESUS FOR GIVING HER TO ME AND FOR THE PRECIOUS LIFE SHE SHARED WITH ME. THANK YOU JESUS AND THANK YOU JELLY, UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN PRECIOUS. WITH SORROW AND LOSS, PRISCILLA "MOMMY"
Comments would be appreciated by the
author, PRISCILLA ANDERSO
321-784-1468 Tech Support
