My sweet sweet boy Eddie died in my arms last Friday evening when all other
options were exhausted to fight his lymphosarcoma.  It had grown so large in
his chest that he could barely breath, eat or walk, and as horrible as it
was, the most loving thing I could do was put him to sleep peacefully.  His
last gaze was at me and I pet his head as he left this world.  He was only
14 months old, and had no indication of cancer until a few days
previous...but by then it was too late.  I loved him with all my heart, like
no other pet before, and will miss his little body running around my house
for a long time.
 
Go home this evening, and play with your little creatures.  Remember that
you could lose them in the space of a few hours, so make sure that you've
loved them all you could: it brings some solace in an otherwise sad and
hopeless situation.
 
--michael
_________________
Michael R. Butz
Biomedical Research Technician
Neuroendocrine Research Laboratory
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois  60612
_________________
[Posted in FML issue 2115]