Fostering has many joys, but at times, it can leave a giant hole in your heart that will never be replaced. Some animals come into our lives but are not able to find their happily ever afters. They are taken from us too soon. This is Fawn’s story.
On June 10, Fawn was removed from horrid living conditions and brought into St. Clair County Animal Control. After almost a month, she was released to rescue. Upon being pulled from animal control, volunteers knew there was something wrong. She appeared defeated and her appearance was alarming. She was covered in fleas, smelled strongly of urine, her gums were white, her nails were extremely long and her teeth were exceptionally bad. She was taken to a vet, and was determined to be extremely anemic, dehydrated, and emaciated. They also found a bad heart murmur, and requested she be hospitalized for 3-5 days to receive a blood transfusion and IV fluids. During this stay, however, it was discovered that she was in renal failure. She was not strong enough to make the long journey to Chicago to the rescue that had pulled her. Instead, a kind heart stepped forward for Fawn in her time of need. Sara Cordevant fell in love with this sweet girl, and while she knew her time was short, she was determined to give her everything she needed for the final days she had left.
And so began Sara and Fawn’s journey together. The transformation of Fawn from scared and defeated to a wagging tail was nothing short of a miracle. She completed Sara, and Sara completed her. Sara lived for Fawn’s smile, she was always so happy to see her. She would show all her teeth for the biggest, goofiest grin as she welcomed her home each evening. Fawn was shown love every minute of every hour of every day that she stayed with Sara, and learned what being loved truly feels like.
Fawn and Sara had one happy month together, but sadly, Fawn’s journey came to an end this week. But even in the hardest of times, Sara remained by her side. She was with her until her final breath, stroking her fur and reminding her that she is loved, and always will be.
While Fawn is no longer with us, her story and lessons remain strong. Fawn taught us resilience, unconditional love, but most importantly, forgiveness. We do not know what she endured before we met her, but given her condition, we can only imagine that humans did her wrong. Despite this, she had nothing but love for everybody she met.
And Sara taught us one of the hardest lessons of all – to love with all of your heart, knowing that it will be broken. Because all life is precious, and deserving of love. Thank you, Sara. You are not only Fawn’s hero, but a hero to all of us, as well.