by Diana Renteria
I remember bringing Chauncy home when he was just 9 weeks old. I fell in love with him from the first time I saw him. I have so many wonderful memories of him and my life is not the same without him now. I was blessed to have him for 9 1/2 yrs. I feel I was robbed of many more due to cancer. Chauncy battled cancer the last 6 months of his life and he was my hero because he was a true fighter to the end. I live in Iowa and in order for Chauncy to get radiation treatment for his tumor we would have to take him to Columbia University in Missouri which is about 5 hours away. We made 9 trips down there besides having to leave him there for a month for his treatment. There wasn't anything we wouldn't of done to prolong quality of life, but on December 22nd that came to an end when he could no longer could fight this awful disease. It was hard to let him go, but he was suffering and it was the only compassionate thing any of us can do. My heart is broken without him and I thank God that he was in my life for those 9 1/2 yrs. I will never forget him and will always love him. The doctors at the Columbia Teaching Hospital where Chauncy was treated is going to hang his picture/plaque that I had created in tribute to him on their "Wall of Hope". What an honor so he will never be forgotten and what an inspiration he will be to all the doctors that are making an effort in this fight against cancer. I would like to share the following poem with all of you who read this, the authour is unknown, but it pretty much sums up the way I feel about my beloved Chauncy: They say memories are Golden
and maybe that is true,
I never wanted memories-
I only wanted you.
A million times I needed you,
a million times I cried,
If love alone could have saved you,
You never would have died.
In life I loved you dearly,
In death I love you still.
In my heart you hold a place,
No one could ever fill.
If tears could build a stairway,
and heartache make a lane,
I'd walk the path to heaven,
and bring you back again.
Our family chain is broken,
and nothing seems the same,
But as God calls us, one by one,
the chain will link again.