One of my favorite stories about our ferret vets comes from Karen
Purcell. Introduced to ferrets as a college student, she screamed and
fled! Working in the kennel, she was cleaning cages when she noticed
one was empty, except for a towel. Opening the door to remove the
towel, the unsuspecting Purcell fell over backwards as a ferret flew
past her! Several years later her best friend re-introduced her to
ferrets. FerretMan, a hefty five pounder, helped her overcome her
initial fear of ferrets After that, Dr. Purcell became a ferret mom
herself. "Scheherazade was part of a behavioral study at Cornell. Once
the study was over, the ferrets were neutered as part of the vet school
curriculum and homes were sought. She was with me for several years,
despite a congenital kidney abnormality."
Dr. Purcell was born and raised in upstate New York, an area she loves.
Twelve years ago she and a man named Denis Parslow decided to elope
"to my living room" just hours before leaving on a trip to the Bahamas.
Just several years ago she followed him, a systems administrator for
Fidelity, to New Hampshire and now sees ferrets throughout New England
as a relief veterinarian. "We have 2 golden retrievers, 3 cats and are
currently fostering a stray cat and her litter of 5 kittens. Our lives
pretty much revolve around the animals," said Dr. Purcell.
As an infant, Dr. Purcell experienced her first animal delivery and is
sounds just like the title of a book - The Cat Who Joined Her In Her
Crib. This laid the groundwork to her future calling and she has known
that she wanted to be a vet most of her life. More memorably, Dr.
Purcell recalls a ferret surgery that involved "removing the right
adrenal, kidney, caudate lobe of the liver and a section of vena cava."
The ferret "lived another 2 years and died of lymphoma ultimately." Her
work was influenced by her mentor, Dr. Vicki Fowler. This was "not my
first job in veterinary medicine, but the veterinarian who supported
me the most and really gave me good insights into the field. She is
the veterinarian I use as a model for how I practice medicine."
Those of you who have attended previous ferret meetings know that Dr.
Purcell is not shy! An avid belly-dancer, she will be performing for
attendees of the symposium and teaching those who want to learn more
moves. In addition to belly dancing, Dr. Purcell also enjoys sci-fi.
Having served as the Art Show Director of ARISIA
(http://2009.arisia.org/), she stays active. And, these interests also
influence other aspects of Dr. Purcell's life. For example, given the
opportunity to spend 24 hours witth anyone, Dr. Purcell replied, "That
is a tough question. I would have to say Coco Chanel or one of the
other major designers, to pick their brains about costuming." To relax,
Dr Purcell may also be found reading her favorite book, Riddle of the
Wren by Charles deLint, or watching her favorite movie, The Quiet Man
with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. Of course, it could also be any
other sci-fi, fantasy or biography. Dr. Purcell also enjoys board
games, sci-fi conventions (both attending and running), costuming,
and playing Luxor on the computer. "I prefer folk music and both
alternative and classic rock or sitting in my hot tub."
When asked how she would like to be remembered, Dr. Purcell remarked,
"I would like to be remembered as someone who made the world a more
positive place." My memory of Dr. Purcell will be of her fighting me
for a basket of human goodies at Ferret Stock to benefit FerretWise
shelter! Not only did she raise every bid I made, she pulled out
cheesecake after cheesecake to raise more money for ferret education!
Last year Dr. Purcell visited Pittsburgh to participate in a sci-fi
camping trip and the World Science Fiction Convention. This year she
will attend the Pittsburgh symposium and update us on infectious
diseases in ferrets. To learn more about Dr. Karen Purcell, check her
out at http://world.std.com/~dgp/karen.html or contact her via email:
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--
Renee Downs
"Eventually we will realize that if we destroy the ecosystem we
destroy ourselves." Jonas Salk
"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." Amelia Earhart
It's amazing how much can be accomplished if nobody cares who gets
the credit!
Ferret Emergency Response, Rescue & Evacuation Team (F.E.R.R.E.T.)
http://www.ferretemergency.org
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International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org
[Posted in FML 6097]
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