Best Friend

by alwaysrememberm3

It was a dark day for my whole family when my newborn brother encountered a tragedy that could end his life just as quick as it had begun. My brother was diagnosed with asthma only one year after he was born. Things got more and more complicated for me as questions arose. What would happen to my best friend? What should I do? I had no idea what I should do, but let me start from the very beginning.

You are probably wondering who my best friend is, but it was not a person, nor was it a thing, it was my dog. You are also probably wondering what my dog has to do with all of this, but don’t worry I will get there. On my first birthday, my parents had decided to get me what I think of as the best present ever. They had brought me to an animal adoption center, where I was going to get what I always had wanted when I was a baby - a dog. I remember that day as if it had just happened yesterday. I remember walking into a large white room, and I smelt the distinct smell of puppies. There were over ten puppies to choose from. I remember all of them playing; none of them paid attention to me, except for her. A small black puppy came running at me. At that very moment, I knew that we would be best friends forever. Or would we?

After that day Jojo and I spent every moment together. She would take naps whenever I did, walk next to me whenever we went to the park. Sometimes when I ate, she would distract me by licking me and in a matter of seconds she stole my food. I thought that was very funny. There was one activity I remember distinctly though. It was when I went to the park. I remember riding in a red wagon every day as I went to the park. I would feel the cool breeze as I went outside, but at the same time feel the warmth of Jojo, and hear the comfort of her heart beat as we sat next to each other in the wagon. She was my best friend. When I turned three everything changed. My brother was born. I was not sure whether it was one of my favorite days or one of the worst.

On March 11, 1998 my brother was born. At the moment I was very happy. I was the first to hold him and remember him smiling up at me. He was my little brother and I would love him forever. As we went home I remember him sitting on my side as Jojo was on the other. I was so happy to have two friends. After that I spent all of my activities was both my baby brother Chris and Jojo. Every day was the same, but something seemed to be wrong with my brother. He was always having fun, but it seemed that he was having a hard time breathing. My parents and I were very worried. We thought that he would just get over it. We waited for several days, but he only seemed to be getting worse. Then one day it got horrible, and my parents called 911. The ambulance came and took him away. I wasn’t sure of what was happening, but I knew that it wasn’t a good thing. Then my mom told me that my brother was diagnosed with a condition called asthma. She told me that one of the possibilities of him having asthma was because of Jojo. At that very moment, I couldn’t think of anything besides what would happen to my best friend in the whole world.

I cried for several days because I couldn’t accept the fact that Jojo could be the one affecting Chris. Jojo has been the one who would comfort me whenever I was sad, or she would be the one who would play with me. I had no idea what I would do if I didn’t have my best friend with me. It was very emotional for me, because to me it seemed as if I was forced to choose between having my best friend in the whole world, Jojo, or my innocent little brother, Chris. My parents and I pondered in our heads what we should have done and it was very hard for us to decide, and after weeks we still hadn’t come up with an answer.

Then something horrible happened. My dad gave Jojo away without telling my mom or me which made me extremely sad. For a while I couldn’t understand why my dad would every do something like that. All he told me was that it was for my brother’s sake. To make things even worse for me, after about two weeks, the doctor found out that he was actually not allergic to dog hair, but instead he was allergic to cow’s milk. The moment I heard that, it gave me hope that it was possible for me to find Jojo. My family has asked the SPCA to search the database to see who had adopted her, but when it was pulled up on file, to our dismay we couldn’t find her. All that we know was that Jojo was in a safe place and with a family that would also love her.

My brother told me how it was to be a hospital and what it felt like to have an asthma attack. He said that it was very traumatizing and felt like his chest was on fire, and that he was drowning underwater. He told me that I would never want to feel what it was like and that I was extremely lucky to not have it. He did say that there was a bright side to it. He said that in the hospital he was allowed to have almost anything he wanted and watch movies and TV all day long.

No matter what, I will never forget Jojo and part of her still lies in my heart because she was the best friend I could ever have. Sometimes as I walk along the street and I see a dog that looked like Jojo, I wonder if it could actually be her. I call out her name, just in the hope that it could be her, but it never is. I now have four dogs that I love just as much, but they will never replace the piece of Jojo that lies with me. This was a very significant part of my life that will stay with me until the day I die.