I had the priveledge of knowing and caring for this little beauty for just under a year, before her bad luck with cancer overran her and I had to let God take over.
An impulsive buy from the SPCA, I took her home for 5 dollars and gave her all the love I could, until just a few short months after her guinea pig sister passed away, we discovered a tumor growing from her left leg. With our regular vet on mat. leave, we brought her into an unfamiliar face, who overlooked her condition and suggested that we immediately put her down.
I knew in my heart that this little girl had so much more life in her, and so we searched for a second opinion, with which we found at the University Small Animal Clinic. They diagnosed the lump as cancer, checked her over thoroughly, and she was scheduled for surgery the following Monday. The weeks following were long, she hated me for the first few days, and did nothing but sleep and eat in her cage, which was placed on a chair in my bedroom, beside me at all times I was home. When she went for stitches removal, we received good news that the cancer was gone, Lucy was a fighter, and she won against the odds of dying under anesthesia or the stress and trauma of losing a limb. Unfortunately, just a few months later, we had noticed her beginning to sleep more and eat less again, a sign of cancer, and after all we’d been through with her already, I was feeling defeated.
Even with extra care and antibiotics, we came home one evening to discover her paralyzed on one side of her body, huddled in her sleeping area, not wanting to be touched by anyone. It was clear to us that she had had a stroke, and as we watched and loved her throughout the night, she began to have seizures, and began rolling over on her back numerous times. Unable to watch her go on like this, we brought her in to the emergency vet, where we let her go. She took her last breathe in my hands, so calm and finally still after being unable to stop moving. The cancer had spread to her brain and was slowly eating it away, destroying her nerves, tissues, and sense of direction. I kissed her goodbye for one last time at 1:00 in the morning on May the 15th. She was such a sweet, loving, amazing little hamster and I will miss her dearly, and always remember her bravery and her will to live.
To the most wonderful girl,
Love,
| Lucy |
| 15, May 2010 |
| Amanda |