Goodbye Sweet Olympia

This has been a very tough week for today we lost another friend... Sweet Olympia was gently helped across the Rainbow Bridge today.

We have told you about Olympia before and what a strong and brave girl kitty she was. She turned 18 years old in August and led a very rich and full life. She so bravely battled cancer and diabetes and underwent many medicines and treatments and yet she was always so strong and her will to live was so powerful she simply never gave up. In 2001, Olympia was diagnosed with cancer after her daddy found a golf ball sized lump on her right shoulder. The lump was removed, as well as a good portion of her right shoulder and back muscle. She went through chemotherapy every two weeks for a few months, she lost a lot of weight, but pulled through with the help of her Mommy and Daddy and lots of support from her Grandma H.

After all that Olympia felt pretty good but she was then diagnosed with several other ailments including bladder stones and a gastro-intestinal disorder requiring her to take Pregnizone every day to keep her from throwing up. After that, she was also diagnosed with diabetes, so she had to have a shot of insulin twice a day.

Olympia was born in the mountains of Blacksburg, VA where her mommy went to school. After her Mommy graduated from Virginia Tech (Olympia was always so proud of her mommy for graduating) she spent some time in Charlotte, NC where she lived with her Grandma and Grandpa, and got to be spoiled and treated like the queen kitty she was. She got to eat tuna from the grill and was well-loved by her Grandma and Grandpa very much. Olympia got to fly many times (only in cargo once, and it was horrible for both her and her Mommy) and she got to be driven all up and down the east coast.

Olympia liked to join her mommy and daddy for vacation in Oak Island, NC and usually got to go there once or twice a year. When she was at the beach she loved to roam around the house, sleep in the sun and look out the windows at the big blue ocean. Olympia often got to feast on fresh fish, shrimp or crab at the beach, too!

She has been to Buffalo, NY a few times and got to visit with Bo the dog and Yoko the cat and remember times with Alex and Mandy the cats and Rocky the dog who aren't with us any more.

In Feburary 2004 Olympia's Mommy and Daddy brought home a surprise - a baby brother named Will. While she wasn't too happy about this at first, she got used to him and thought he was fun to have around. Will was a good brother to Olympia and was very gentle with her and liked to pet her. He also checked in on her and kept her dish full all of the time.

Olympia's Mommy and Daddy loved her so very much and had silly nicknames for her including "Goo", "Goose", and Big Earl. You might think these are not good names befitting a lovely girl cat like Olympia but they were meant in pure love and she knew it.

Although Olympia had more than her fair share of illness and troubles in life she never ever forgot how important family is, how much they care about you and what an important part of the family each and every loved kitty is. Olympia believed you could never understimate the power of positive thinking and she embodied that credo every day in her life until the very end of her glorious 18 and a half years.

We are all sending our deepest purrs and love to Olympia's Mommy and Daddy and her brother in this tough, tough time. We love you sweet Olympia and we will all see you again someday on the Rainbow Bridge...