The Snow Leopard
When Danny, April and family lived in Enid, and then in Ponca City, we started a tradition of going to the OKC zoo every mother's day. When DJ was 2 years old, papa and her disappeared into the gift shop at the zoo. That's always a really bad idea to let papa and grandchild go it alone in a gift store - particularly if papa has a credit card! (sigh) ANY grandchild! (when Lillie and Kathleen got to spend the day with us while parents worked, they both told their parents to be prepared, because they were going to get spoiled rotten that day)
So while they were in the gift shop, papa told DJ that she could get any stuffed animal she wanted. Big one, little one, medium sized one. They wandered around the gift shop for at least 30 minutes while DJ looked carefully at EACH animal, touched them, tried them for cuddling softness, etc.
Finally, she told papa what she wanted. She made a beeline for the stuffed snow leopards and chose one - not huge but not tiny either. From that day forth, that snow leopard went pretty much everywhere with her.
Of course, snow leopard was in her bed every night to keep her company. When papa would pick her up in Ponca to spend the weekend with us, snow leopard came with her and slept with her at our house. Some years passed, and DJ and family moved to Arizona.
We would visit them, and there would be snow leopard in - count them - 4 different houses. During the summer when I was off, we would travel half way to Albuquerque and pick up DJ and Alaina. This made Callen very upset because she wanted to go with her sisters. She wasn't quite old enough yet to be away from home for a few weeks. Leopard came with DJ every single trip, and Emily Jimilee came with Alaina every single trip.
Finally, DJ and Alaina were old enough to fly on Southwest with an unaccompanied minor tag. Leopard and Emilee Jimilee came with them. Again - Callen was totally furious because she was still too young to fly unless DJ was 12.
The day came - and all three girls got to come. Leopard with DJ, Emilee Jimelee with Alaina and Kitty Cat with Callen.
Fast forward years to 2 weeks after DJ's 16th birthday. DJ got sick. Very sick. Hospital stay after hospital stay became norm for their family. April and I tried to add up the days she was in the hospital - but wasn't really sure. It was at least 180 days she was in the hospital or at home too sick to go to school. Again - leopard went with her to every single hospitalization. To Carver Children's Hospital, to Tuscon at University of Arizona medical hospital, back to Phoenix, and to Phoenix Children's hospital. Leopard was there.
Finally, DJ's god mother gave part of her liver so DJ could have a liver transplant. DJ was 17 1/2. The day she went for surgery, they had a camera crew there to film as we came into the hospital because DJ made AZ news. It was the first pediatric liver transplant in 20 years at PCH. Leopard is in the pictures! Leopard went with her to surgery. He was on her lap or by her hand when she was recovering.
Then one day, the unthinkable happened - somewhere between a move to a step down hospital room, Leopard was lost. Her doctors searched, the nurses searched. Her transplant doctor even called the laundry where they send hospital stuff. They hadn't found any leopard in any of the stuff coming from PCH. Poor leopard was gone. DJ cried and cried and cried. We found several other ones for her, but none of them were Leopard.
Flash forward to 2017. DJ was expecting a son. Mimi got her a snow leopard for the new baby. But sadly, Little Jace didn't get to be in our world but instead went to live with the angels. But leopard is still there, with Jace's little bracelet as a neck collar, waiting for a new baby in the coming years.
Thus is the story of the snow leopard. I hope you enjoyed.
