O.K., I've procrastinated this long enough. It's time for me to
actually sit down and give you some updates...
History: Percy had her adrenal gland removed on May 22nd by Dr.
Kawasaki.
Now: She's doing fabulously! She has gained about 6 ounces, and
her fur has grown back wonderfully. She's also more active now than
she has been in about 2 years, so I really have to wonder how long
she was actually ill before I noticed any symptoms.
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History: There was a Canine Distemper outbreak followning a May 16th
ferret show in the Maryland area.
Now: According to the Sept./Oct. issue of "Ferret Tails", the AFA's
newsletter there were a total of 60 reported fatalities due to the
outbreak. The last reported fatality was in mid July. All AFA events
were cancelled until this was brought under control, and as of this
Sunday, September 27th, all AFA events are back on. (BTW, the known
cases were in Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, New York, and
Georgia.)
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Many of you will remember Gabrielle and Lestat. They were some
of our net.ferrets who's owner was very active on the mailing list
and in rec.pets. Well, as I have mentioned before, he graduated and
for some reason decided that he was bored with them, and gave them to
a shelter. (I'm sure those of you who know who I'm talking about
are as shocked as I was)
Well, I think that Marius and Magnus have good homes now. I haven't
heard about where they ended up. But I do have some semi-sad news
about Gabrielle and Lestat.
They ended up being adopted out by a shelter in lower MD. The shelter
director screened the lady well, and she appeared to be a good home
for them. But, although nice, she is apparently somewhat cluless.
Gabrielle and Lestat went to her home, and about a week later she
called the shelter director back to pick them up because they were
"sick". He said that when he got there he was amazed, he had never
seen a flea infestation so bad. They were covered with literally
hundreds of fleas, and were actually very sick because of them. So
he took them home, cleaned them up, and they recovered nicely.
I saw them at the LAFF fun match last Saturday, in a cage with a
sign announcing that they are for adoption. Hopefully they will
finally find the home they deserve. Gabrielle is such a
sweetie. Lestat has a little nipping problem, but aside from that is
absolutely wonderful. I'm still just absolutely sick that the
original owner gave them up, and this latest development in their
story hasn't helped matters.
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The following is not ferret related, so if you aren't interested, just
skip to the end of my letter...
History: My sister, Peggy, was in a car accident a little over a year
ago that left her a low level quadriplegic. With no control below mid-chest
level, and limited arm and hand control.
I've been especially bad to not have kept everyone posted about this
one. I can't tell you how much all of your support meant to me during
the time that she was in the hospital. I don't even think I told you
when she went to rehab.
She stayed in intensive care for 1 month, then 2 more months in a private
room until her internal injuries healed and she could eat. She was then
sent to Magee rehabilitation hospital in Philadelphia for 3 more months.
6 months total between the two. She came home and had in-home nurse
care for about a month, and then went back to work 3 days a week. Now
she works 4 days a week, and has her doctor/physical therapist/psych/etc.
appointments on the other day.
She has a power chair, but she hates it. She much prefers to wheel herself
around in a regular chair, which she ordered in hot pink. :) It's been
very frustrating for her, especially having to depend on everyone. But
things are looking up now. She got her van back about 3 weeks ago, the
conversion (lift, electric seat, hand controls, no effort brakes, etc..)
was supposed to take 3 to 5 weeks, and ended up taking 11. The van is a
huge help, she can now go wherever she wants to without having to work
around someone else's schedule so they can pick her up. It's also a huge
step to independence to be able to drive again. And, 2 weeks ago they
moved into a lovely handicap accessible ranch house that they built in
the country. Everything is made for ease of use for her. Counters are
lower, there's space under the sink and stovetop, a roll in shower, ramps
everywhere, door handles instead of knobs, wide doors, no carpeting, etc..
So now she can do things like put her 2 year old son to bed instead of
kissing him good night and having someone else carry him upstairs.
In a terrible situation, things are finally starting to come together for
her and her family. It was so frustrating waiting for everything to
happen. The van kept being delayed, and the house kept being delayed...
For someone who is frustrated every minute of the day by things they
can no longer do, that wait is terrible. But now, as I have said, things
are looking up. At the very least, the excitement of a wonderful new
dream house (it's a great house, not just because it's accessible for
her) is enough to liven her spirits, which I should say are amazingly
good for someone in her situation. She gets depressed a lot, but that's
to be expected. She doesn't let it get the best of her.
It helps a lot, too, that she has a *LOT* of family support. Primarily,
her husband, Mike, has been fabulous. He's stood by her every step
of the way. They have a wonderful relationship. Her 2 year old son,
Alex, is extremely well behaved. I guess having been shuffled to
hospitals for 6 months starting when he was 10 1/2 months, having no
set schedule the whole time, and having about 10 different people take
care of him really made him lenient. He puts up with just about everything.
He's still a 2 year old who gets upset if he doesn't get his way, but
he will listen to reason better than any other 2 y.o. that I've ever
met.
Well, that's an extremely short summary of a very complex situation.
I guess I would summarize even more that everything is wonderful with
her life *EXCEPT* that she's a quadriplegic. But that's such a huge
thing, that it tends to overwhelm most of the good stuff.
Again, many thanks to everyone who supported me through this. It's
hard being a sister in a situation like this. Everyone kept pulling me
aside and telling me to take care of my parents, "it must be so terrible
for them". I suddenly found myself being primary caregiver to a 10 1/2
month old while Mike recuperated and spent all his time with Peggy,
having to comfort and take care of my parents, and everyone kept telling
me how terrible it was for everyone else, and to make sure I took care
of them. My sister, and best friend, was nearly killed. I had a lot
of grief to deal with myself, but spouses and parents come first.
Sisters just don't fit into the plan when it comes to sympathy. I
was given lots of messages and presents to pass on to my family, but
very few people asked me how *I* was doing. (I'm not saying that
parents and spouses shouldn't come first, just that other people
are hurting, too) I had to be strong all day long, and I can't tell
you how much it helped to be able to come back here at night and tell
everyone what *I* was going through. I will never be able to repay
you for the support you gave me. I hope that my sincere thanks is
enough. I'm sure I would have made it through without your support,
but I'm really glad I didn't have to.
- Nancy
Nancy Hartman CIS graduate student
[log in to unmask] U. of Delaware
President and founder, Delaware Valley Ferret Club
Owner of Percy & Bree
[Posted in FML issue 0316]
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