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Welcome to positivelyloved, the home of Blogging For Hadley during the 2007 Blog-A-Thon, to raise money for The Marley Fund. My name is Lindsay and I am going to be the one running this blog during the Blog-A-Thon. In addition, I am also running Feral, Not Homeless in memory of our Fonzie and to benefit Alley Cat Allies. I'll do my best to answer any questions that may have arisen.

WHO WAS HADLEY?
Hadley came into our lives in September of 2005. My then boyfriend -- now fiance -- and I set out to the Adopt-A-Thon in Oviedo, Florida to look for a potential playmate for our cat, Landon Dakota. It was one of those "just looking" scenarios. Oodles of cute faces meowed at us through the cages, but I still remember seeing Hadley for the first time. She was with It's All About The Cats and sitting on the lap of a shelter volunteer. It was her "koala nose" that made us run over to her. The shelter volunteer introduced us -- Hadley was then known as Korea -- and asked if we wanted to hold her. She fell asleep in my arms, purring, and Aaron knew that it was time to get the carrier from the car because Hadley was officially ours. Hadley and Landon took some time to get along. We adopted Landon in August of 2004. She was the victim of some pretty awful abuse and neglect cases and therefore she came with a lot of baggage. Landon suffers from post traumatic stress syndrome and slightly stunted growth. She'll be five years old in a month and we just recently got her to weigh six pounds. Landon had a lot of issues, but they were nothing Hadley couldn't cure. Before long, the two became inseparable and formed a friendship that was so unique. Hadley was the boss of our household. She woke us up every morning, making us follow her to the treat jar where she requested her morning treat. When my fiance wanted to study, she would flop down on his chest in front of his textbooks and go, "Okay, daddy, pay attention to me now." In July of 2006, we received an unexpected visitor on our patio: a little black kitten, completely malnourished and exhausted. This kitten became Jagger, who started off as a foster (I can't believe the fiance fell for that!) and is now part of our forever family (who didn't see that one coming?). Hadley accepted Jagger immediately, whereas Landon still hasn't. That was Hadley's way: she wanted everyone to be comfortable in her home, as long she could still make the rules! Our little family was complete. Hadley had a heart so big and eyes that could out shine the sun. She knew how to bring a smile to our faces and lived her life with the intentions of doing so every moment of the day. She never said goodnight without giving us kisses (her feline sisters included) and, despite being so young, took such great care of her "big sister" Landon.

Life was perfect until...


JULY 13TH, 2007
I came home from work to find Hadley unresponsive on the floor. Despite my shaking her, she wouldn't move. I threw her into a carrier and my fiance and I rushed her to an emergency clinic in Casselberry, Florida. Hadley was diagnosed with severe anemia and stayed overnight receiving oxyglobin via a catheter. The next morning, she was more alert. We brought her to our vet for a check-up. This is when we found out that Hadley had FeLV, or feline leukemia. Hadley's original testing upon our adopting her showed that she was negative for leukemia, but apparently this was a false negative. This whole time, Hadley had been positive. Eager for a second opinion, we put Hadley's care in the hands of Dr. Suero at Tuscawilla Animal Hospital in Winter Springs, Florida. Unfortunately, the verdict was the same: Hadley was not doing very well. Dr Suero advised us to have one great weekend with her, and we brought her home with the intentions to do so. However, that night (7/14/07), Hadley had lost the will to live. She refused all food and water, her weight dropping to nine pounds (a far cry from her hefty fourteen pounds). Hadley found a dark corner in the closet where she tried to go to sleep on her own, but she couldn't. On Sunday, her will to live was completely gone. Aaron and I let her tell Jagger and Landon goodbye, and brought her to The Animal Emergency Center of Orlando. Dr. Tabbenor and team were so supportive during the hardest thing we've ever had to do in life. Hadley went to sleep at 2:48 p.m. on July 15th, 2007. Aaron and I held her, kissed her and spoke to her until it was the end. Hadley is buried in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida next to her "brother" Fonzie.


Daddy & Mommy get one final photograph with our Hadley.

Hadley is survived by her people Lindsay Poveromo & Aaron Joly; her feline sisters, Landon Dakota & Jagger Olivia; her bunny brother Jackson Kinney and her rat brothers Ponyboy and Sodapop. She was loved by anyone who ever met her and anyone who has ever even seen a photograph. Hadley was our life and our light and there will never be one day that goes by when we do not miss and love her with all of our being.

We must stop this cycle.


WHAT IS THE MARLEY FUND? WHAT IS THE MARLEY HOUSE?
As taken directly from their website:

The Marley Fund: The Marley Fund is dedicated to making a difference in the fight against feline retroviruses, including both feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency viruses, through public service, promoting awareness and educating the public. Knowledge about feline diseases and their prevention is essential to the Fund’s mission of stopping the viral cycles and ultimately eradicating feline retroviruses. As the only national nonprofit dedicated to offering an alternative option to immediate euthanasia, we have created a safe haven for infected cats—where quality care and life enrichment are the primary concern.

The Marley House: Marley House for FeLV kitties, located in Greenville, NC (headquarters of Marley Fund), is the first NCDA licensed and regulated shelter solely for feline leukemia positives in the state of North Carolina. This small donated space is a safe haven for felines that are carriers of the feline leukemia virus (FeLV), and those who are asymptomatic (with no clinical signs of the disease).




Everyone who sponsors positivelyloved during the Blog-A-Thon will be eligible to win a magnet in memory of our beloved Hadley to show your support for The Marley Fund and your awareness about FeLV and FIV. There are five magnets in total.

Magnets can also be purchased for $10.

THANK YOU FOR READING
Thank you for visiting positivelyloved. Though Hadley has only been gone a short time, already we are feeling the emptiness. The warmth she brought to our home was indescribable. Together we can do something to stop FeLV from being the number one killer of cats.

7/16/07: Due to shared bowls, litter boxes and living arrangements with their sister, Landon and Jagger, our two other cats, needed to be retested for leukemia. Both of our beautiful girls tested negative for leukemia.




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