Last Sunday I went to the beach with friends. I met this guy with my friends who happens to by a veterinarian. We hit it off as friends and I even chatted him up about living with an aging ferret.
Flash forward to me sleeping in on Tuesday and missing an email from my boss about working a last minute event on Wednesday. I really am still trying to hustle and make dat money to take my mum to Paris in the fall, so I was angry with myself that I missed working Wednesday.
Flash forward again to Wednesday afternoon. I was hungover in bed (yet another bad decision) and laying with Xavier when all of a sudden he started clawing furiously at the roof of his mouth until his claws had gashed a few cuts in his gums and he began bleeding. Then he started salivating profusely to the point where it was obvious he was having some kind of seizure or fit.
Remember the vet I met on Sunday, I phoned his animal hospital-which happens to be on my block- and in hysterics I asked if the vet I had met was working and could fit me in. He was able to see me and upon examination, it was ruled that Xavier has Insulinoma- a ferret-like diabetes that unbalances his sugar production. On top of his cancer, this new diagnosis was such a blow to me.
I sat crying in the waiting room wondering if this would be the last time I would ever see my baby again. His blood sugar levels, after all, had plummeted to 35 when they should be around 100 or more. Thank you god him dying was not going to be the case. The doctor was able to put him on steroids and began treating Xavier for his Insulinoma.
Now, days later, I took Xavier out to the pool at my house to play for the first time in his life because he has returned to such better health and his energy is better than what is has been for months. Ferrets are illegal in California, so I never let Xavier be seen by anyone, let alone take him outside. But I have a new mind set now that he has gotten better: I will no longer live in fear of him being discovered and seized ( then euthanized) by the authorities. I will be out and proud about owning him and can no longer hide his existence.
You see, while Xavier is doing better, the diagnosis- along with the cancer- means little X has maybe 2 years left of his life. I don't know what I will do when the day that he does comes, so in the meanwhile, I plan on showing him the best life I can possibly give him. I've always wanted to take him to a park and let him run through the grass like his forefathers did. I've always wanted to take him to the beach. Always wanted to take him just out to my pool.
Because life is meant to be lived, people. One cannot live in the fear of the inevitable, one can only live with the idea that everything happens for a reason. Had I not wanted to go to the beach last Sunday, would my ferret be alive today? Had I gotten that event and worked it, how much worse would Xavier have gotten without me noticing? Had my mother and I not adopted him from that lady in Glendale off craigslist in 2009, would his soul have ever touched my heart and made me the responsible, loving parent I am today?
This is my life and I'm often reminded of how precious it all is. Thank god for my mom, my family, my friends, and my Xavier. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for ya'll.
