Cowboy the Magic Horse

Wow! So it's been awhile since I've graced the blogosphere, huh? I'm not sure why I've been away so long, but I'll try to be a better blogger (we'll see...).

This photo sums up how embarrassed I am about how neglectful I've been...

 

Yeah, I'm ashamed to show my face.

 

I'm so ashamed that I have to admit that this isn't even a picture of me! It's my daughter. But you get the point.

 

Anyway, I'm not here to keep apologizing for my absence, but to share a project I did a few months ago, and tell you a wonderful story behind it.

 

First, I'd like to introduce you to a very special horse. His name is Cowboy.

 

 

 

Rumor has it that he's magic...

 

You see, Cowboy, did an extraordinary thing for a very special lady in his life. Her name is Sheila...

 

 

...and Cowboy saved her life.

 

This is an excerpt written by Sheila on how Cowboy did just that:

 

"People often ask me how I found out I had kidney cancer. The answer is simple: a horse.

The Journey began six months after I started riding a horse named Cowboy. In the fall of 2008, Cowboy's personality completely changed. He kept wrapping his head around me and bumping my lower back with his nose. At first I thought he was trying to bite me but, as it turns out, he was trying to tell me something was wrong. One day, while practicing emergency stops atop Cowboy, I felt a small snap in my back. It was the exact spot where Cowboy kept bumping me and, as I put him in the barn, he again bent around me to place his nose on my back as he stood very quietly. My doctor ran a battery of tests over the next few days which revealed that I had a very aggressive case of Renal Cell Carcinoma. I was referred to UCSF because the cancer was so advanced. I told the treating doctor there my concerns, that I wanted to ride Cowboy again, and that not being able to ride again was not an option. Her exact words were, “I will never take away something that will keep you alive.”

While Sheila was going through cancer treatment, she met a little girl also receiving cancer treatments.

 

"She sat and talked to me, so full of hope that it dawned on me that hope is something we should all have. Cowboy and that little girl gave me hope."

 

As a result of this experience, Sheila decided to write a children's book about her miraculous horse. It's called "Cowboy the Magic Horse".

 

 

According to her website, the book is about "unconditional love and friendship between a young girl and her horse, it leaves readers knowing that with love and hope anything is possible."

 

Now, here's where I come in...

I have known Sheila for over 16 years. We have worked together off and on for those 16 years, and she is currently my boss. But, she is also my friend.

 

Last year while browsing one of my favorite knit/crochet pattern sites (Ravelry), I came across an adorable crochet pattern for a horse. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to make Sheila a crocheted Cowboy.

 

I found several pictures of Cowboy on his Facebook page. I wanted to be sure I got the colors and his spots just right. It was a really fun project, and I was very happy with the results:

 

 

 

 

I gave "Little Cowboy" to Sheila for her birthday last September, and she loved him!

 

Sheila recently got to pay back Cowboy for always being there for her when she was sick. Cowboy just went through a rough patch himself, but his ever faithful sidekick, Sheila, was the one this time to stand by his side and help him through.

 

True and faithful friends forever...