I love what Eterneva does in their role of assisting loving pet parents in honoring and remembering a life they shared with their special loves. Yesterday I shared out an article I shared with my partners at Eterneva, and in turn I asked them to share with me some stories from the pet parents they’ve assisted. Wow! Talk about mind-blowing in the beauty of the pieces, and the stories! I can’t wait to share a few of these with you! To start our series, meet Jocelyn…
Jocelyn Brickett, a small animals and exotics veterinarian at Palm Bay Animal Clinic in Florida, had never had a dog of her own. That is, until Russ showed up. Russ was a Pitbull she saved after a Pitbull fighting ring confiscation. As you might expect, she was originally hesitant about his personality and demeanor after such a difficult life. But quickly, their bond became unbreakable.
“As a veterinarian, I see a lot of bonds between pets and their people, and there can be no difference between the relationship with you and your pet versus you and another person,” says Jocelyn. “I didn’t have a stronger relationship with any single person as I did with Russ.”
To Jocelyn’s surprise, Russ quickly came to her rescue, comforting her when she was sad, easing her anxiety when she was stressed, and so much more. The light he brought to her life was immeasurable, and when he passed, irreplaceable.
“After Russ passed away, I had no idea what I wanted to do to keep him with me and to remember him,” says Jocelyn. “All I knew is that he definitely had to still be part of my life.”
She heard soon after about the ability to turn ashes into diamonds, and knew that was the right path for her and Russ. It hit all her criteria: the ability to keep him with her, to memorialize him in a beautiful way, and to remember him in a positive light.
“Picking his diamond was actually pretty easy for me. I already knew blue had to be his color because his favorite toy was this little blue ball that he carried around with him everywhere he went. And I wanted him to be in a ring because I could see it everyday, be reminded of him and show off his brilliance even after he’s gone.”
To see more about Russ, click on the video link and hear from his Mommy the emotion, her love, and how she’s remembering her boy forever.
Rest in peace, Russ!