The Long Goodbye

My beloved Georgie lost her battle with Lymphoma early Tuesday morning. This photo was taken last March and shows my baby healthy, the way I need to remember her. She was diagnosed in July 2009 and was only given 6 months to live with aggressive chemo. She was stage v at that point but we had so much hope. She defied us all and lived 9 full months. Her spirit never wavered and every week we went to chemo her doctors called her "the wonder dog". She was a fighter and we truly cherished every moment of the past nine months. She certainly got spoiled, getting a scrambled egg every Sunday and as many treats as she wanted. She and I spent many quiet moments sitting in the sun together. She lived 10.5 years and I know she was happy for all of them. She was like a child to me and was my constant companion, never leaving my side. The void I feel right now is immense. When you experience anticipatory grief, it is such a long goodbye. Even though I feel blessed to have had her for an extra 9 months, I feel so robbed because had she not gotten cancer, she would have lived until she was 18. Her spirit was that great! I will always miss my sweet girl.