So We Got a New Cat or the Cat got us, Part I

Ashley's kitty, Lily, died on December 22 last year. Ashley loved that cat, we all did. She was so precious to us. We worked hard at keeping Lily alive for as long as possible after she swallowed a string in September. The vet didn't offer us much hope without an expensive surgery but we tried; we believe there is always hope. We fed her with a syringe for weeks, she eventually started to eat (a lot) on her own. She started gaining weight and passing the string. Eventually there appeared to be no more string. We thought we had saved her. She was playing, eating, drinking and almost back to the weight she was prior to her getting sick. We were very hopeful. That all changed quickly one dreadful Thursday before Christmas. Lily wouldn't eat, she was hardly moving. She went downhill quickly because by the end of the day, she was not walking at all and she began to have little seizures. At first I didn't know what to do, I was in tears knowing this was the end for our sweet Lily Blue. I knew we had to take her to the vet, and I knew we would not be returning home with Lily. I then grabbed Ashley, told her what I felt. We allowed our other animals time with Lily, we took Lily outside so she could feel the warm fresh Florida air. We then told Ashley's daddy and her big brother, we called the vet and prepared ourselves emotionally for goodbyes. It was hard, very hard for Ashley. But we do have a happy ending.

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Ashley's Story

“Although Ashley’s liver is failing, she isn’t sick enough to be placed on the liver transplant list. We were told that Ashley would need a new liver by the time she reaches puberty." Ashley was born at the end of July in 1998, but her story doesn’t start there;her story begins when she was just a little peanut in my womb. At 24 weeks gestation we learned we were having a girl, but our little girl had something wrong with her. Imagine sitting in the examining room, and the excitement of learning you are having a girl, then at the same time you hear the silence in the room when something is just not right with the baby. We were told that Ashley possibly had an ovarian cyst. It was normal and not to worry. But something told us it was more than just an ovarian cyst. As soon as Ashley was delivered she struggled to live. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck twice, and she was blue. Thankfully the doctor cut the cord immediately and although Ashley was still blue; she was b

Answers lead to more Questions

In great Ashley fashion, she did very well with her trip to the hospital and recovered well from the procedure. Right now, Ashley is off with her Grammie getting spoiled by shopping. With no one in the house but me and the pets, I am off to my own devices which usually means I have to much time to think, to research, to worry, to vent, to hope and to pray. Today Ashley had a broncioscope to find out why she has been coughing for six months. After getting up at 4:30 am and at the hospital at 6 am, the scope began at approximately 7:30 am. The procedure itself took less than 30 minutes. The outcome of the procedure left me with more questions than answers. We do know why Ashley is coughing, Ashley has a vocal cord dysfunction, enlarged adnenoids and tonsils. Finding out why Ashley is coughing is good news, however, we also learned that Ashley may have other issues involving her lungs. There was 60mL of fluid in her lungs. Some samples of her lungs were sent for a cell count, bacterial cu

It's been a while. Did you know...

that Ashley was in the hospital after Thanksgiving and before Christmas? She had a bleed. She has varices. Just a little reminder that she is not healthy and has a life threatening liver disease. that we lost our beloved beautiful puppy, Sarge, on January 2. It was sudden, shocking, and sad. We think he had leukemia based on his symptoms. Not sure if we will ever get another dog. Sarge was one of a kind and a perfect fit for our laid back, drama free family. that Ashley made the Principal's Honor Roll her 1st Semester of high school while taking all honors courses. She is beautiful and smart. that Ashley is still dancing for her high school dance team minus a solo this year. She loves being part of the team but really misses competing in her favorite style of dance, lyrical/contemporary. that after a couple years of not having a dance studio to call home. We think we may have finally found just the place. Maybe someday Ashley will compete on a stage again and not

Love For Ashley

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