A Tribute to my Best Friend

Many of my friends, followers, and family members know how close the fight against cancer stays to my heart. This year, I have taken on the position of the Highland County Relay for Life chair, and I am having a lot of fun doing it.

I woke up this morning with Relay on my mind. "What could I do to raise a little more money for Relay?" I thought. I sat down with my handy dandy Relay for Life chair notebook and started looking through it's suggestions for fundraisers. I kept turning the pages, but nothing was clicking. Then, I came across a fundraising idea called "Paws for a Cause," and it reminded me of one reason why I Relay. So I decided to share my reason with all of you in hopes that some of my readers would make a donation on behalf of my friend who passed away from cancer three years ago last month.

It all started when...
I was eight or nine years old, my sister came home one weekend with a laundry basket full of clothes. I was sitting at the kitchen table as she walked in carrying what I thought was just dirty laundry to be done. She sat the basket down next to me, and as I sat there I noticed the laundry was moving! I stared at the basket with wide eyes and a confused look on my face. Suddenly, the basket toppled over and out rolled the cutest, fluffiest, most adorable puppy I would ever see for the rest of my days. Meet Auggi.

From that day forward until the day she passed away, Auggi was my best friend. She was there to support me through my awkward and confusing teenage years, she was there when I graduated high school, and she even gave me away at my wedding.

In January of 2008, I received a phone call that made my heart not just sink, but it felt like my heart fell from my chest all the way through the bottoms of my feet. I heard my mother's voice: "Something is wrong with Auggi. She can't walk." I rushed to my mother's house where my sweet pup was. I walked in to find her laying in the hallway. I tried to encourage her to get up, but the back half of her body was not working. I knew this wasn't good. After snapping a few pictures (left) just in case, I scooped Auggi up in my arms and rushed her to the vet's office.

I received news that Auggi had cancer and she would soon be taken from me. My best friend? Gone?

"What can be done? What can I do?" I desperately asked the vet. She told me about a few surgeries that might help, but were a long shot and may cause Auggi more discomfort in her last days.

We've all had those moments where we've just stared off into space, not knowing quite what to do... I was there. I clung to my Auggi dog and willed myself to think of something, anything that could save my special girl. Nothing. The only thing I knew how to do was pray and hope.

The next two months brought ups and downs. Some days, Auggi would walk and I would be hopeful. Other days, she was in pain. She began to lose weight, and I could tell she was in more discomfort. One night, I laid next to her all night trying to spend as much time with her as a could. In the early morning hours, Auggi looked me in the eyes and I could feel her telling me it was time.

With tears streaming down my face, I slowly picked her up, wrapped her in a blanket and took my best friend to the vet's office. I knew what I had to.

I placed her on the vet's examination table, and the prepared to send my Auggi dog on a new journey - one with less pain. The vet told me it would only take a matter of a few seconds once the drugs went in to Auggi's system. "Are you sure?" she asked me once more before starting the process. "Yes," I said through uncontrollable sobs. I looked into the eyes of my dear, sweet, doggie as she left this world. My hand, placed over her heart, felt the organ beat its last. My baby was gone.

The pain of losing my Auggi dog is still as strong as it was that day. Tears overflow from my eyes as I write this causing me to stop writing, cry, and write some more - a story that needs to be told.

Please consider following this link and making a donation to the Highland County Relay for Life, whether it be for Auggi, for yourself, for a friend or loved one who has survived or passed away from cancer, or... for someone you'll never meet. For a stranger that you will never know who is fighting the fight right now. Please help. And, please hope. Together we can make a difference.