{"id":571,"date":"2026-08-02T11:11:56","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T11:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=571"},"modified":"2026-08-02T11:11:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T11:11:56","slug":"how-a-lovable-scruffy-raccoon-dredged-up-a-world-of-grief-and-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=571","title":{"rendered":"How a lovable, scruffy raccoon dredged up a world of grief \u2014 and love"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The other day I got a DM from my youngest daughter. It was a video of a strange-looking raccoon, a lady\u2019s voice narrating, \u201cWhat am I seeing?\u201d Then the text caption: \u201ca small little deformed and bedraggled beloved raccoon.\u201d I watched, a little confused about why my daughter sent it my way. And then, as the dwarfed raccoon scurried across the screen, the next frame was captioned \u201cMeet \u2018Jimothy,\u2019 Seattle\u2019s Local Legend.\u201d<\/p>\n

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By now I\u2019ve learned of the absolute adoration the nation has for this strange creature. But on first viewing, I noticed my insides getting irritated. In fact sometimes I can\u2019t help but feel a little cheated by this \u201cJimothy\u201d phenomenon.<\/p>\n

My partner passed away 18 months ago. He\u2019s a nickname guy. Had one for all the people he loved. Mine was Juanita Bonita, later simply Juanita. His name is James, Jim, Jimmy. My adult kids, as a way to endear him, coined Jimothy. They banter now over who came up with it; regardless, Jim grew to love it. Around them, he\u2019d call himself the name. He\u2019d sign cards, texts, laugh at how silly it sounded.<\/p>\n

Images of the short-spined raccoon spreading across the internet invoke a strange mix of emotions for me. Part of me feels angry \u2014 Jimothy belongs to us \u2014 <\/em>while another part believes it\u2019s a sign and a reminder of our love.<\/p>\n

Jim was a believer of signs. We live in Northwest Montana. Nature surrounds us. Jim loved the wild Turkeys. \u201cThere\u2019s Greta,\u201d he\u2019d say, looking out our kitchen window. \u201cGreta Gobbler \u2014 get it?\u201d He\u2019d laugh and hurry outside, making sure she had enough black-seed in the feeder. He named the turkeys Hazel and Greta. I fell in love with the smaller birds. \u201cDid you know robins mate for life?\u201d I\u2019d tell him, referring to the robins that frequented our property. \u201cThe male robin keeps watch over the nest while the female takes a break.\u201d Jimothy, being the protector of creatures and me, also liked this information.<\/p>\n

Along with Greta Gobbler, we made up stories about the Stellar\u2019s Jay. How they seemed to take on attributes of people we\u2019ve encountered \u2014 endearing or not. We imagined the Stellars as quality control attorneys swooping into every birdfeeder, scarfing up all the good seeds, ensuring things were up to snuff. They soon became Jay Stellar Esquire. One spring we encountered a skunk that had made a home on our porch. The removal was something onlyLucy and Ethel could concoct.<\/p>\n

After our Jimothy passed, all the known creatures were gentle reminders to me of our shared life. A male Robin perches outside my bedroom window. I have never found his female \u2014 another sign from beyond, I think. I\u2019m the female being watched. \u201cHi Jim!\u201d I say, routinely.<\/p>\n

We had a lot of plans that went awry due to the unbeknownst cancer growing rapidly in his liver. I think about the trips that were canceled, the concert tickets that left empty-seats, bike rides that never happened and countless missed dinner plans. He tried to hide his pain.\u00a0 I would notice him holding his stomach and wincing. He\u2019d play it off as minor, but I could see his gut ached by his greying color. We needed to lay low. I\u2019d remind him we had an entire lifetime to adventure together.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d spent the year battling prostate cancer. His PSA was zero \u2014 he\u2019d beaten it! We were sure this gut ache was residual from radiation. I became hyper-vigilant over his dairy intake, convinced it was the Greek yogurt. I gave him shots of charcoal that turned his lips black, along with probiotics. While he focused on regaining his health, I handled the lion\u2019s share of our daily life. His guilt around this was not easy on him.<\/p>\n

Through his pain, Jimothy never complained. Friends and neighbors had no idea; they shared after he passed, he seemed like the same ole him. He\u2019d muscle through and tell me not to worry. He was resilient and strong, and hated disappointing others.<\/p>\n

When we\u2019d first met, Jim used to comment about my long torso and straight posture. We joked that if he kept slouching, soon he\u2019d be a hunchback knuckle dragger. A memory I only recently recalled as I watched raccoon Jimothy scurry across my Google Search. Another sign \u2014 a reminder. He\u2019d be proud that the Mariners now have a mascot bearing his pseudonym, even though he was a Red Sox fan. Who doesn\u2019t love baseball, and Jimothy?<\/p>\n

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On December 8, 2024, I rushed him to the hospital. He was struggling to breathe; his heart was failing.\u00a0 We live in a rural area. Driving him to the local hospital was quicker than calling an ambulance.<\/p>\n

Jimothy was always everyone\u2019s favorite. We were certain my own mother liked him better than me. \u201cHow\u2019d we get Jim?\u201d She\u2019d often ask. After Jim was admitted into the ICU, the hospitalist shared with me that the ambulance transport from the regional hospital had called and said, \u201cWe\u2019re bringing in your new favorite patient. Protect him!\u201d Jimothy being Jimothy even in his darkest moments.<\/p>\n

Jimothy joked with hospital staff while they all fell in love with him, fighting to give him every possible chance for recovery. I watched them wipe tears away as they\u2019d walk out, knowing something we weren\u2019t ready to face.\u00a0 A specialist showed us an ultrasound of his liver. \u201cThere\u2019s more tumor than liver.\u201d<\/p>\n

For three days we believed our love was strong enough to beat whatever this was. He was full of so much life; we still had so much ahead of us. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

We held one another. He told me I saved his life, and that whatever happened, he gave me his whole heart. I couldn\u2019t imagine that saving <\/em>him brought us here. I asked him what he wanted to do in terms of diagnosis. \u201cWe\u2019re gonna fight like hell,\u201d he said on Tuesday. But by Wednesday he was incoherent. Hope was just a word.<\/p>\n

On Thursday morning he passed. His best friend and I were by his side. The staff gathered as we played his favorite Jethro Tull song, Elegy.<\/em><\/p>\n

The line of nurses and doctors came in paying their respects. His impact palpable. Jimothy was larger than life. For Jimothy, everyone else in the room was the star. He tipped service people more than what is logical, listened harder, and made others feel seen. He was the best person in every room<\/p>\n

Maybe Jimothy is a universal idea. Jimothy is hope personified. A reminder to live presently. I used to say to ours, \u201cI wish we\u2019d met sooner.\u201d He\u2019d readily answer, \u201cI\u2019m just glad that we did!\u201d<\/p>\n

The raccoon is living with a deformed spine and birth defect. Ours received a diagnosis of a poorly differentiated endocrine cancer, unsurvivable at his stage. Both hell-bent on living life fully in the moment.<\/p>\n

Yesterday I opened my social media and saw an ad for Seattle\u2013Tacoma International Airport reading Nonstop to Jimothy<\/em>. I\u2019d take that flight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Jimothy the viral short-spined raccoon captured the world\u2019s hearts. 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