Hope

I know I have sounded a bit restless in my last few blogs, but there are so many wonderful things in my life right now, and I have to focus on those things, rather than on the things that I don't have. I truly feel that I am in the profession that I was born to be in.

Something happened at work recently and it changed my life. A beautiful Siberian Husky named Hope has been coming to VAMC ever since she was a puppy. Hope was dropped off for boarding while her parents took a trip to Hawaii, and only a few days after being dropped off, she became very ill. (She had been previously diagnosed with several health problems, but only began to decline while she was away from her parents.) Hope was in very, very bad shape, so we called the clients to let them know, and they immediately cut their vacation short and booked a flight home. For two days, Hope lied in her cage, barely hanging on.

Her mom and dad arrived to the hospital at 1:00 in the morning and were taken straight to our treatment department. They sat on the floor next to her cage and touched her and talked to her, and by 1:10, she was gone. It still gives me goose bumps and brings tears to my eyes to know that she hung on until they arrived, and that she finally felt as though she could let go when she was in their arms. Life is so precious, and I think there is so much more to it than any of us could ever begin to fathom.