Three years ago last October, just weeks after Quinn was born and diagnosed with kidney disease, and weeks before Gage was diagnosed, I took Gage to 3 appointments – 2 therapy visits and a doctors’ visit. They were in three different locations throughout the city and required Gage to attend speech therapy, have us drive to another location an hour later to change into a wet suit for aquatics therapy and wait another 2 hours to go to a neurology appointment, without us having time to go home in between.

It was a relief to be able to focus on Gage for a day, even if it involved work on his part and a doctor’s visit. In between appointments we had lunch and stopped at Borders book store. I thought it’d be nice to get him a treat for being such a trooper. I had a book in mind.

We entered Borders and went to the kids section, and within seconds Gage spotted a very bright orange cat, with a Halloween bow around its neck and claimed it. He couldn’t be swayed to choose anything else in the store. Gage has always loved stuffed animals and has several favorites. Since he was a baby he’d slept with Nighty Bear. He has several “friends” on his bed at any given time, all set up a certain way and a certain order – in an OCD way (that’s for another post).

I helped him name her. Since we were working on him saying the letter “L” in therapy I’d thought it’d be good to pick a name with L in it. So Sally was named, and Gage was happy.

I thought Sally would become like the rest of his friends and end up on his bed, heaped high upon Scooby, or Fluffy, or Sparky. No, no, people. Like Nighty Bear, Sally became his sleeping pal, the one he wrapped his arms around each night and each morning, the one who has made an appearance to many a breakfast.

Sally has been washed at least 40 times. Sally has long lost her Halloween ribbon, and had her tail chewed on by the boy who has texture issues, she has endured trips to the beach, the grocery store, and the mall. Sally regularly makes it to most doctor visits, hospital trips, and days of long testing.

Gage loves the cat that I affectionately (and privately) call Ugly Orange Kitty. And I couldn’t be happier to have the ugly kitty comfort him. This morning as I woke Gage up, and his arms tightly held Sally, I thought that someday this cat will spend much more time at the doctor and hospital comforting my sweet little boy during transplant evaluations, testing, surgery and recovery. I was happy and sad at the same time.

I am thankful, even grateful to have Ugly Orange Kitty in Gage’s life. It is the best $12.95 I’ve ever spent.