First up in our “Remember Me” Series is Cheerio.
After 126 starts on the race track, ‘Concertos Song’ was evacuated by plane from Puerto Rico to RVR in 2018 due to a hurricane that pressed toward the island. The grey roan was foaled in 2005 and his racing days were over. A new life awaited him.
As everyone at RVR fell in love with him, his barn name of ‘Cheerio’ suited him perfectly and stuck. Cheerio became a sweet barn favorite and we all hoped for the perfect forever family for him. Unfortunately, his inoperable melanoma diagnosis kept potential adopters away. As his tumors grew, we suspected Cheerio would be a sanctuary horse and spend the rest of his days with us at the rescue.
If he were to be adopted, it would have to be a very special case.
Fast-forward to volunteer Hollie! Hollie loved Cheerio like the rest of us did, except she wasn’t deterred by his cancer diagnosis. We were thrilled for Cheerio when Hollie requested to adopt him!
Not only did she offer Cheerio an amazing opportunity he certainly wouldn’t have had otherwise, she also chose to adopt his very best buddy, Louie. Cheerio would get to have a forever home alongside his buddy, with a family who loved him unconditionally.
Today Cheerio and Louie are still best buds who are living the good life with a human who loves them dearly. Despite his melanoma, Cheerio is still feeling well and doing great. His story is a beautiful reminder that a happily-ever-after is possible even with a terminal illness or for an elderly equine when the right human is willing to give unconditional love despite what the future holds.
