A dog is a girl's best friend. At least, Chevy was Katie's best friend for a season. Someone who showed up when life was at its worst. When I had not seen her smile in weeks, Chevy brought her smile back. At their first meeting, he peed in the hallway. She walked out of her hospital room on weak and unsteady legs to sit in a chair and throw a ball to him. Katie's eyes got as big as her smile and we all just laughed when he hiked that leg up! (Please note - he doesn't normally do that, but Chevy works 40 hours each week and it had been a long day for the pup!) He introduced her to the outdoor playground on the 5th floor because best friends share secrets. She taught him tricks and gave him treats because, well, friends do that, too. He visited the ICU when he wasn't supposed to. On hard days when there really were no words to share, Chevy just laid there, because sometimes friends don't have to talk. He also showed up on days when life was good - like the day she was discharged from the hospital. With his naturally crimped ears and snazzy bowtie, he is quite the charmer. I swear that dog can even smile! He sent encouraging notes when she was going through outpatient radiation. What Chevy was not able to do with his own two paws, his handler managed for him. His handler is a child life therapist at Cincinnati, also named Katie, who loved on our family in ways that went well beyond whatever paycheck she receives. She knew our Katie's personality, what she liked, what would upset her, how to help her through procedures, her favorite foods, what staff she related to best and who she enjoyed the least. You may hear me occasionally refer to graces so quiet that very few people even notice them. I have learned to look for these. To listen for them. To find them hidden in really ugly places. Chevy spent time with Katie on her last day. He was sitting beside my kids in the little conference room when Chad and I told them their sister was going to die. Having him there was nothing less than God's quiet, beautiful grace. So last Friday, Chad and I went to Cincinnati to hand deliver a donation to Chevy and to give him a really good belly rub. Our local little league in Winfield, through a baseball/softball tournament in Katie's memory, raised a significant amount of money which they wanted to give toward something Katie believed in. Some of the money went to the WV Kids Cancer Crusaders.
Some of the money went to build a picnic shelter at the fields where Katie would have sat and drank a LOT of slushees. And some of the money went to the Animal Assisted Therapy with the Department of Child Life at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. I knew pet therapy existed before we went there, but I honestly had no idea how valuable it could be in a child's healing. It was wonderful to see all of Katie's team on Friday. Dr. Norris, Dr. Ben, Molly (our social worker), and Meg (one of our favorite nurses). They all hugged us as family. But Chevy and Katie were the reason we went. Because when no doctor, no nurse, no radiation, no modern medicine could heal her, Chevy could do what no one else could. He could just be with her.
23 Comments
Tim n Bev
7/24/2018 08:36:41 pm
Thank you for sharing! I hope these messages bring you some measure of peace and comfort. I continue to pray daily for the Cobb Clan. Sorry, I got in the habit and it just stuck. I love you all and my heart goes out to you.✝️
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Patty Tabor
7/25/2018 10:14:14 pm
What beautiful acts of kindness! Katie's life will inspire and have ripple effects in many ways through many people. Thank you so much for sharing her pictures with Chevy. They bring a tear but leave a smile.
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Shannon Louk
8/2/2018 10:47:55 am
Chevy is most definitely quiet grace in an incredibly cute package. Thank you for sharing. Continued prayers to you all.
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