I too have had a similar experience to Dayna's Bea. Mine is with Akasha.
 
Akasha was a normal 5 year old fuzzy.  Still active and Queen of the house.
She ruled over her subjects gently, but was always the master.  One day
while training a new volunteer, disaster struck little Akasha.
 
The volunteer came running into my living room yelling that one of the
ferret's was walking funny.  I assumed it was Bones a little boy who came to
us with a broken back and was recovering.  He assured me it was not, so I
went into the ferret room with him and he pointed to Akasha's cage.
 
I lifted her tiny body out and lay her on the floor. To my horror, she
began to drag her back end around. I started to cry uncontrollably. I had
never experienced this before. Visions of the Rainbow Bridge began entering
my mind which only made me cry harder.
 
A trip to the vet showed that Akasha probably had Lymphoma and was going to
die.  I knew Akasha and knew that she was a fighter so I opted for a surgery
to remove her spleen.  She dropped all her weight off and went from 3.5lbs
to a mere 12oz.
 
People were writing me from all over begging me to end her life.  Telling me
that I was cruel for keeping her alive with Cancer and no spleen.  I
refused.  Then ECE came into our shelter.  We lost Isis and Oso.  I was
scared Akasha being so sick would go too.  She had no hair or fat to keep
her warm and she just wouldn't eat for me.
 
To make this long story short, Akasha survived ECE.  She has survived
Cancer.  She was only given 3 months to live and now it's been 5 almost 6.
She has gained her weight back, grown almost all of her hair in and even
though she still drags her legs behind her, she still steels my sox and
anything else she can get her paws on.
 
The morel of this story?  Ferrets have a strong will to live and succeed.  I
have learned not to give up on any ferret until they tell me it's time to
give up.  Akasha never did.  I wish I as a human had the same tenacity that
they do.
 
The Ferret Aid Society
http://home.echo-on.net/~magick
[Posted in FML issue 2353]