The Adventures of Anthony and Gadget: Life with Cystic Fibrosis and Kitty
Meet the real-life Calvin and Hobbes: My son Anthony and our FIV-positive Kitty Inspector Gadget!
My son Anthony Xavier is 9 years old and was born with cystic fibrosis.
What is cystic fibrosis?
Click this link for more information from the cff.org website.
According to cff.org, “Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that affects the lungs, pancreas, and other organs.”
Anthony has both mutations, affecting his lungs and growth. It’s harder for Anthony to gain and keep weight.
The gene is derived from the delta F508 mutation. Both his father and I unknowingly carried and passed it on to him.
Click here for more info.
Our journey began nine years ago when Anthony was diagnosed at birth. When I was 26 weeks pregnant, the doctors did an ultrasound and noticed that my son had a bright echogenic bowel, which symbolizes the possibility of a cystic fibrosis child.
His father and I were shocked; the news hit us like a truck.
At age 22, I was more than determined to ensure I learned anything and everything about this illness. ADHD is a part of cystic fibrosis, which makes things a bit trickier. However, I always find a way with the power of prayer.
Anthony and I find productive ways to make his medical routine more bearable while tending to our adorable kitty, who is now 2 years old, Gadget.
Anthony’s older brother Rudy moved out to bond with his dad and played sports this summer. The boys have different fathers, and Anthony misses his brother terribly.
The song by One Republic, “I Lived,” hits home for caregivers and those with cystic fibrosis.
In the song, Bryan (then 15 in 2014) is featured in the music video and tells his story of growing up with cystic fibrosis. Bryan expresses how important it is not to take life for granted.
A movie called Five Feet Apart depicts life with cystic fibrosis through the eyes of two teenagers with different outlooks. I cry my eyes out and cannot watch this movie alone.
Despite having this illness, it does not stop him from exploring the world. Anthony is a very vibrant and curious child with a heart big enough to share with the world.
His love of animals has helped him learn compassion and empathy for other living creatures.
When Anthony was six years old, he wished for a kitten on Christmas.
Anthonys’ wish came true 4 months later. On April 16th, 2021, a day after Anthony’s birthday, Gadget was born. To Anthony’s joy and surprise, he got a striped Kitty just like he wanted, and he named him Daniel Tiger.
Thus, the adventures of Anthony and Gagdet, the real-life Calvin and Hobbes, were born.
Background story on Gadget’s mother, Ms. Mittens:
A stray cat came to our porch one day, needing shelter from the storm. Miss Mittens was instantly attached to us and quickly became a part of our family. We thought that she was a he. Boy, we were wrong, hahaha!
When my mother saw her on our back porch, she was intrigued. My sons and I asked what piqued her interest, and she told us that he was a SHE, and SHE was pregnant!
We were elated! The research begins!
We instantly started researching heavily on pregnant cats, what to expect, and how to help her and the babies.
She put all her trust in us, and we got 100% because her birth was peaceful; she had everything she needed. She gave birth to 4 kittens, but sadly, one did not make it.
With help from family and friends, we could supply the kittens with everything they need.
The kittens were wonderful and fun to watch growing up together. When they were 12 weeks old, I found the kittens and Miss Mitten’s wonderful homes with relatives and friends.
We kept Gadget (Daniel Tiger at the time).
Although we were saddened by the departure of Miss Mittens and her kittens, we were very happy with Gadget and did everything that Jackson Galaxy, the cat daddy, said to ensure he was happy, thriving, and healthy.
Oh, no! Gadget gets lost at 3 1/2 months old! :(
However, even when everything is planned perfectly, something unexpected can occur. Gadget liked to play in the backyard shared with other condo neighbors.
One night, he strayed too far from home and got lost for seven months. It pained me that he got lost a day before his vet appointment to get neutered and chipped.
The boys and I were broken and very sad. We felt we lost everything when he went missing.
Great news, he found us!
On our walk home from school one February, Gadget found us again. We knew it was him instantly because he remembered us and looked exactly like our three-month-old kitten, Daniel Tiger.
We were delighted and immediately brought him home to get food, rest, and catch up on many missed cuddles.
I made an appointment with our nearest vet and was seen within 2 weeks.
The vet was five minutes away from home and had great reviews. We went in and did the labs with no problem.
1 week later, the lab results came back. To our dismay, we were given some very heavy news.
Gadget is FIV-positive! Oh no!! What does that mean?
We were told that Gadget has FIV and would not live for three to five years. My sons and I also discovered he was very anemic due to how long he was on the streets.
It would explain his tendency to sleep and look adorable in every picture.
The vet offered leukemia boosters, which I agreed to instantly. We couldn’t lose our best pal after we got him back.
After heavy research, my sons and I were pleased that Gadget would live beyond ten years if he stayed indoors!
The vet apologized for giving us such heavy news with grave results. They assured us after the labs came back that Gadget would live well beyond ten years and that the first labs weren’t correct.
Having FIV cats around children and adults is safe because they cannot give you FIV.
I’m thrilled that Anthony and Gadget were united again and that the FIV will not affect him as much as we thought. However, although Anthony has cystic fibrosis and Gadget his FIV, they combat their illness as a team by trying to stay cheerful daily.
Together, they venture on many adventures and learn to live life to the fullest.
I can’t wait to continue to share their adventures with all of you, my medium friends!
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~Marlenny Linda writes, free yourself 💚
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