Thursday, July 3, 2008

A Tribute to Midas

Four years ago this September Don & I went through the excruciating decision of letting our beloved dog Jake go.

Prior to his death, he was diagnosed with diabetes and I took on the task of caregiver injecting him every 12 hours with insulin. It took a few months to get his blood sugar regulated but we persevered and got him to acceptable levels.

During this period we spent quite alot of time researching how to treat Jake's diabetes and fortunately for us met this wonderful lady named Chris who incidentally is mom to Midas in the picture below. We met through a canine diabetes chat room. She encouraged us and supported us through this very difficult period of getting Jake & me used to the injections, changing his diet, etc...

This beautiful boy - Midas had diabetes and also suffered from Cushings disease. Here he is above in happier days.

Chris and her family spent many happy years with Midas who enjoyed a wonderful life. From her emails we read what a wonderful companion he was.

And then today, an email arrived from Chris with only the word "Midas" in the subject line. Don and I both knew before we even opened it what it would say.

Unfortunately Midas is now afflicted with severe arthritis. He struggles to get up and is very wobbly. Midas is a big boy at 110 pounds so they cannot lift him up to help him and are very concerned that he may fall and break a hip.

So they have made the heart wrenching decision to let Midas go tomorrow afternoon.

Chris, I will keep you in my thoughts during this very difficult time and send my love to you and your family. I will hold your hand in mine tomorrow and share in your tears and sorrow as you say good bye to your beloved "Midas".

Edited to add that it was 11 years ago today that Midas came into Chris' life.


Solace

From the silence of your pain I heard my name
and on the wings of light I have come
to see the sadness in your eyes
that cry without tears.

Can you see me, I am here
I will always be near you
to calm your shattered heart
and to make you smile at the memories.

Do you feel me, perhaps a soft brush of fur
You ache to believe it's real
but you are afraid to hope
You brush away a strand of hair.

But it was I, whispering.....
I am only here for but a moment
The silver thread gently quivers
I will leave behind my love in a dream.

When you awaken
and without really knowing why
Your heart will know at last
That it is all right, for now
to say good-bye.

Lisa Carmel Singer

2 comments:

Vickie LeBlanc said...

My heart is breaking and I don't even know Midas. Dave and I both know that is a decision we soon will have to make with Tabi... it breaks my heart just thinking about that day.

Barb said...

I am adding this email I received from Chris about this post.

Oh Barb, I do not have the words to describe how I feel about this beautiful tribute you paid to Midas. It means so much to me. I feel so absolutely empty inside right now....I"m hoping the anticipation of what is to come is worse than how it will be. You know, I was so sure about this and now that I've gotten past the 'is it the right time?' question I am agonizing over how much I will miss his sweet soul.

Our lives have been so intertwined over the last 11 years...oh, and incidentally we got furry little 6 week old Midas 11 years ago tomorrow. 11 years of joy and love. I feel like I'm deceiving him but I know it is the best thing for him. He has nowhere to go but downhill from here.

Thank you again for the tribute. It is beautiful and I will cherish it and go back to it often. I do read your blog very often and very much enjoy your insights on life. We share a lot of the same interests.

You and Don are wonderful wonderful people and I really appreciate having you in my life. Take care. Love Chris

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