I am at a total loss for words so forgive me if I sound like an idiot. I didn't receive the digest today. Apparently AOL is at it again. However, Danee Devore forwarded Muldoone Greets Lizzie. I thought I was past the tears...evidently not as I'm still crying hours later. I don't have a clue how Muldoone knew about Lizzie as I haven't posted anywhere other than once to the FHL back when Lizzie became ill. I found it very difficult to talk about what was going on with Lizzie and in some ways I still do. Sweet little Lizzie...how do I ever tell you all about this baby. And a baby she was. She was 6 months old when she left this earthly plane on January 23rd, 2006. Lizzie had DIM...that gawd awful killer of babies. Lizzie was one of the sweetest, funniest, people-friendly ferrets I have ever had the gift of meeting, much less sharing my house. She was born on July 6th, 2005, a Marshall ferret, who was pitch black in color. Meeting her for the first time was completely viseral for me...something I had never ever experienced when meeting a ferret. It was in my vet's office and the tears came instantly to my eyes and I had to look away as I didn't want to cry in the middle of the waiting room. I was absolutely sure that she was my Hope girl come back to me. She also instantly told me her name...Lizzie. I have a thing about ferret names and I always have wanted 1 syllable, human names. So I went thru Faith (I had a Joy and a Hope,) Beth, Jazz (she was so jazzy!) and even tried Liz. None worked...it was Lizzie! Lizzie was taken away from her brother at the age of 9 weeks as she was such an alpha that she wouldn't let him near the food bowl, and he literally was starving to death! What a strong little girl she was. She took every single toy that had been Hope's favorites and made them her favorites. But her most favorite toy, and somehow I hate to admit it, was my hard-formed bras of all things. I have a tendency to drop my clothes on the floor at night when I'm getting ready for bed. In the morning, up would come Miss Lizzie and she's roll around inside one of the cups and then drag it around for a while. I'm embarrassed to admit it but I found I was missing 5 bras. Voila...under my husband's dresser....5 of my bras had been dragged. Lizzie put up the good fight. We had such hopes that she would beat this ugly insidious disease but she decided for herself that she was leaving. She played on the floor, got in her cage and while Pat, her ICU ferret nurse (a long-time shelter woman who is the one that gave her to me and who has a gift for healing) was in the kitchen getting her a bit of soup, Lizzie left for the bridge by herself. It was a long haul...6 weeks of high temps up and down, up and down. She never gave up until the end. This experience has been like none other with a ferret. I've had ferrets for over 10 years now but this one...the pain, the grief, the temporary loss of faith in any higher power, the angst and the anger, were like nothing I have ever experienced. I never want to experience it again. I thank God for Dr. Ramsell. The ferret community needs desperately to get behind her research. Donate donate donate just as we have done for ADV. This disease is killing our babies...literally. So, I thank you Muldoone, whoever you are. You are truly a ferret angel in human garb with a wondrous gift for writing. This story has been printed off and will be inserted inside a specially carved wooden box with Lizzie's name and date she was born and died. Her remains will be inside with this story. My heart grieves, my eyes cry buckets and yet I feel a bit of Light knowing that my sweet Lizzie girl is with all her brothers and sisters awaiting my arrival. Barb and her 4 remaining whirling dervishes...Cher, Jake, Sam and Tess In memoriam to Joy, Flo, Zak, Gus, Bren, Hope, Kate and Lizzie [Posted in FML issue 5143]