Grace came to us with a deformed front leg which we later had to amputate. It never slowed her down. In 2004, we got her half sister, Izzie, because she was too fragile to run. We lost her in 2006 at which time I wrote a story about her and Grace.
We lost Grace today. She began having trouble getting about and it turned out to be bone cancer. She was in a lot of pain so we said our goodbyes and held her in our arms until she let go. She is no longer in pain and she is with our precious Izzie, the clown.
They loved each other so much and I don’t think Grace was as happy as when she had Izzie with her. She was a sweet, sweet girl and use to run like the wind. However, she walked with a definite gate in compensation for the missing limb. One time some kids came running from a park to see her and when they got there, they were so disappointed because they thought she was a kangaroo. We laughed and laughed about that. She did not know she was handicapped.
She loved her backyard to play in, to lay in the sun and run. We had a three wheel bike and a friend, who died of cancer two weeks after Izzie, adapted a buggy for Grace to ride in. She loved that buggy. When we would return home, she would lay down and refuse to get out until we would go again. We rode all over town and would stop
along the way to play.
Gracie had a happy face toy she slept with, played with and protected like a baby. She and Izzie use to play tug of war and Gracie usually won. If Izzie got the happy face, she would twirl and leap and run in front of Gracie until Gracie caught her and then it was all over and Izzie knew it.
Our Gracie is free of pain and she is running and playing with Izzie as we speak. Thank you for giving us so much love in your short little lives. We love you both so much. You brought so much to us. You are our special girls. You will forever be in our hearts. We will miss your warm, silky neck next to us at night.
We need you, love you and will miss you forever,
| Gracie |
| Jackie Snodgrass Gary Hockenbury |