Hi.  Oh the tears.... Thank you so much to those who sent messages, cards,
and healing thoughts and prayers for our sweet Wally.
 
The surgery proved too much for Wally, and he passed on January 20, about
3am.  I thankfully don't regret trying surgery, because his quality of life
was compromised for some time and diminished in the weeks prior.  He told
me in the final week that he needed to be fixed or was ready to leave.
This had been Wally's third surgery and our vet, Cindy, says he taught her
much about adrenal disease.  He taught me that the surgical route, when an
option, will be my first choice over ongoing medications.  He is no longer
in pain, a blessing, though I catch myself wishing he'd been able to enjoy
his new tumor-free body.  We will learn more from the pathology, which I'll
share.  We knew there was much risk, but I still wasn't truly prepared for
the worst, as he'd endured so much and I really couldn't believe he would
leave.
 
I took the whole day yesterday for Wally and me.  I cleaned his body a bit
and put him in a pretty polar fleece bed.  I put the house into a peaceful
and pretty state, with my finest scented candles burning, and a special
caramel one for Wally.  Then I sat down with a cup of tea to write the
infamous windy odes that my husband, sobbing, endures before we return a
body to the earth.  The writing is my cathartic goodbye.  As I was writing
flowers were delivered!  Such beautiful timing, and very moving.  The
lovely bouquet came from Wally's ferret partner in strong, successful
battle against chronic illnesses, sweet little fur kid Lemke (and mom and
dad Eden and Bill).  My fur kids have led us to some wonderful people with
huge kindly hearts, one of many of the wondrous gifts their little spirits
bear.
 
Wally was a very gentle, unobtrusive soul possessed of strong passions for
cantaloup and Squeaky Balls.  I can so clearly see him slowly lifting his
head, Squeaky Ball raised high grasped in his teeth by its metal squeeker,
to meticulously place it in its basket..  He did this long after he began
have trouble walking due to insulinoma.  He was also tremendously faithful
to his lifelong buddy Gadzook, and possessed an iron will to live.
Gadzook, our first fur kid, needed a bud.  When I saw Wally's sweet face I
knew he had to come home, and he and Gadz', after a quick ferrety sniff,
weasel warred it up from the first moment.
 
Wally embodied calm, gentle, humble strength with a strong sense of what he
loved and a will to defend it.  When we brought home the albino girls, mom
and daughter Claudette and Minnie, whole ferrets and full of themselves,
Wally and Gadzook holed up in the fur house's bedroom and Wally screamed
whenever the girls popped in their heads.  At the time we were fairly new
to fuzzies and just thought you could plop newcomers in a cage along with
the current residents.  We quickly learned otherwise :)
 
I honor Waltee's faithful little spirit and say a difficult goodbye,
hopefully until we meet again, and a large thank you for the inspiration
and love he brought.  I'll close with my favorite Wally story, which I
also sent along with my request for healing thoughts and prayers before
his surgery.
 
We had lost our sweet Percy, our first adrenal boy whose passing inspired
the beginning of the Ferret Adrenal Insulinoma List (FAIML), which has held
firm at five hundred subscribers ever since.  We always let our the fur
kids have some time to visit the body, so they know that their friend is
gone.  After checking over Percy's body Wally took buddy Gadzook and holed
up in a small carrier (Gadzook's home when we adopted him).  As our other
six curious fur kids approached the door Wally let out piercing screams and
drove them off!  This from docile, sweet Waltee.  Tarzan, the wise, smart,
and kind, however, thought of Waltee's weakness for Squeaky Balls.  Tarz,
old big heart, showed up at the door with a Squeaky Ball and was allowed
entrance by Wally :) But then Tarzee seemed to have a second thought and he
and the Squeaky Boy clompled off to find a hidey hole.  Tarz then promptly,
sans ball, eagerly returned at the mouth of the carrier where loud screams
again barred his entrance!  Tarz, the brave and mighty, did not dare brave
fearless Wally, who seemed to be protecting his beloved Gadzook from the
gates of death.
 
Wally, after a long surgical and drug-ridden fight against adrenal,
insulinoma, and finally a three-inch abdominal tumor, has finally entered
those gates.  But I trust Tarz will be there waiting with Squeaky Ball in
tow.  Tarzee, my balloon-popping fighter pilot whose lymphoma sent him to
the bridge at only three and a half years old, taught all our fur kids to
carry the little balls by the squeeky ring (a squeeker with a metal ring
on the outside to hold onto, not easy to find).  He and Wally were Squeaky
Ball comrades and buddies in many ways.  I love to picture them frolicking
at the Bridge todgether, catching up on a good wrestling bout (Tarz also
taught everyone his gentle wrestling defensive techniqes).  And I can see
Wally, Tarz, and our other fur sweets, Schroeder Boat and Percy, Petey,
Squeek and 'Erb and the other little neural tube spirits, bustling over
one another to get caught up on the all the Bridge and earth tales.
 
Adieu, God Speed, and Strength to our beloved Waldo Emerson Fleeful Red
Romeo LeMarche!  God Speed our little trooper boy.  Tell Tarz, Squeekers,
Schroedy, Percy, Petey, 'Erb and the littles they're sorely missed and we
love them dearly and hope to see them again.  Love and strong thoughts to
you always, sweet Waltee boy.  We're missing you, but glad your free to
soar.  We'll see you in the stars....
 
Lynn, Janos (your two-legged daddy), Gadzook, Claudette, Minnie, and Lucy
(the Fond Four) and 19-year-old Mr. Wellington the Cat, your dedicated vet
Cindy with her huge heart of gold, your special little bud Lemke, and your
other fond two-leggeds, Eden, Bill, Kate, and Todd, and their fertlings
Monty, Madison, Dantes, and Dors
 
Goodbye our little love, Wally, goodbye.... it is so hard, but at last you
are free.... and our hearts are gladdened by that thought, and gladdened by
our wonderful memories....
[Posted in FML issue 3305]