Bella's Story

Dear Dr. Fingland:

I don’t know if you receive letters from clients often, but I wanted to tell you about Bella Rose, her short but precious life, and the treatment she received at your hospital.

Bella was born on April 3rd and died on May 7th. My husband, Tommy, and I are not professional “for-profit” horse breeders and Bella (which means “Beautiful” in Italian), was wanted and loved before she was even born. In her short life, she made a huge difference to us and everyone who came in contact with her fun and energetic personality. She loved to show off running and leaping through the pasture in her happiness to be alive, and she never met a stranger she didn’t like.

Bella was 8 days old when she was attacked by a dog. She was given excellent care by our doctors at Emporia Veterinary Hospital, Drs. Scott Gordon, Richard Mendoza and Clay McKinney. Under their care, she was able to remain at home with us for about three weeks where she received all the love and care possible. I wouldn’t trade that time for the world! She spent her last week of life under the care of Dr. Phillip Jones and his wonderful staff at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

The day we brought Bella to the teaching hospital, we met another equine client, Bonnie Smith, who had also brought in her 2-year-old gelding, Gabe, for treatment. She lost her horse that day, and we cried in each other’s arms. I always felt guilty about that day, as we left with hope of Bella’s survival when Bonnie’s horse did not. Bella died one week to the day she lost Gabe. Bonnie and I became friends and will always remain so because we know each other’s hearts and our losses. We both have other horses to love and care for, and we’ve been fortunate enough to share our lives and friendships with each other. We live in different cities, and we never would have met without our lovely horses.

I had always heard wonderful stories from friends who had their animals treated at the teaching hospital. Now I know they were all true.

Sincerely,

Martha Schlesener

P.S. This picture of Bella Rose was taken on her second week birthday; she loved her party hat. We also had snow the first week she was born, so she was able to play in her first snowfall.