This is Makia. I rescued her from the Santa Barbara County Shelter when I was 22 years old – 20 years ago!

Last week she fell of the top shelf of my closet. Her spleen tumor bled out and metastasized. I thought for sure I was loosing her. We planned her euthanasia and cried on and off for days. Her telling me her last wishes to see old friends, eat salmon, do yoga…

The day we found out her cancer spread she received fluids and to my amazement has had a miraculous energy burst. Her stomach is extended and I hover over her with a watchful eye but she is sleeping peacefully, jumping and climbing like a champ, and enjoying her daily brushes, drinking out of the garden fountain and dreaming under the Mexican bamboo.

Makia says, “Everyone should make joy a priority. I know we don’t know how long I’m going to live but instead of being scared of losing me I want my friends to enjoy their time with me. We all get scared to leave our family before we die but angels are close and I still want to live. Pray for me and I’ll make sure I tell the Buddha you helped me. I love Buddha and Butterflies. I’ll see both in Heaven I’m sure of it.”

Makia has more than nine lives. In her life she died and came back to life twice from hyperglycemia. She fell off the roof because “a dark spirit pushed her”. She jumped off the roof another time because an owl tried to grab her. She’s been chased by a bear splitting her stomach open. She has been surrounded by coyotes and escaped being hit by a car… Oooh that’s seven then this episode. Maybe she has one more!

She talks frequently about visiting Buddhist temples in her mind as well as gathering energy from the divine. She has practically cured herself of diabetes and having seizures. She is amazingly beautiful at 20.

I am so blessed that she could be with me as I grew into the woman that I am. She has seen so much! I learned I could talk to animals with her in my life!

I love you, Makia! I am forever grateful you picked me to be your human.