Hello all:
 
Thank you all for your kind words regarding the passing of my Sassy to the
Rainbow Bridge a couple of weeks ago; I still cannot believe the intensity
of compassion so many FMLers have for strangers.
 
Many of you expressed kind words about Sassy's surviving brother, Ricky,
wishing him well.  Well, Ricky decided that he knew what he needed better
than any of us did... he wanted to be with Sassy, so sometime in the wee
hours of Christmas Eve, he drifted off to sleep and never awakened.
 
A short recap: three years ago on Valentine's Day, I was told that Ricky had
days left to live.  He was suspected of having a brain tumor, and was unable
to do anything other than walk in circles.  It turned out that he was
suffering from series' of strokes and seizures, and he became mentally
retarded--but he was always healthy and happy otherwise--after a few weeks
he was able to walk normally again.  He had good times and bad, had periods
of strokes and seizures, then months of good health.  He loved his sister
dearly, and I suppose it was her, not me, medicine, or anything else that
kept him alive for three good years.  Sassy had been gone for a week and a
few hours before Ricky decided that she wasn't coming back, and he left on
his own will; he was not ill or exhibiting any abnormal symptoms; he simply
went to sleep and wherever he awakened, he was no doubt with his beloved.
 
Sassy had undergone exploratory surgery the previous Tuesday, but did not
survive the surgery.  Ricky and Sassy had been staying with the director of
my Centre County branch of the shelter (I wanted to use my vet up there),
and sadly I was unable to return to State College to retrieve Sassy's
remains until (and I was to bring Ricky home on) Christmas Day.  If there
can be anything touching or sweet about this tragedy, it is that due to this
delay, we were able to curl Ricky up with Sassy's (frozen) body, so that
they could be buried together.  They were born together, they lived and
loved each other together for nearly seven years, and they chose to leave
this earth together.  It gives me such a feeling of peace to know that they
will be curled up together for eternity.
 
I always thought that Sassy was the strong one, there for Ricky; now I think
that Ricky held on for the last three years because he believed that Sassy
needed him.  Once he knew that she was gone, he knew that it was time to go,
and he went to sleep for the last time.  If only all ferrets could choose
their time to go this way and do it so tenderly as to simply fall asleep.
 
Bless you, Ricky and Sassy.  I will never forget either of you, I will
always love you, and I am very happy to know that you're both just fine,
together, forever.
 
Kymberlie Becker Barone
Director, Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association
"Forget Puppy Love...There's nothing Greater than Ferret Love!" TM
http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/ferretlady
[Posted in FML issue 2174]