these donated jackets are keeping up with the cold really well... as you all watch the people in blue jackets-- if you are a steady volunteer here you might check to see if we have any left that might fit you... certainly all purple shirts are welcome to one... the routinen is you try on the sample over my head here in the office then get someone--- tanner or tom ( i.e. young person with young legs)--- to get you one from our ample suppluy in the icu loft..----there was a minor zipper issue which bud resolved by simply cutting off that blue flap entirely-- ask around...
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in an effort to keep you up to speed on misc. activities... judy drove me to an appointment for an mri all the way down 128.. she drives well... we didn't hit a thing in either direction... which is always my big worry in going too far from home...
---I have had an mri before-- long ago... i forget why--but that did allow me to say , with certainty i did not have any metal implanted in my body.. long ago at one point i needed to go thru an awful lot of something i cant remember... to get a metal splinter out of one eye before an mri.. as the thing is a magnet pure and simple-- magents are kind of like gravity-- not to be denied-- a piece of metal in one eye during an mri would have removed the metal and some of the eye.. but i had gone thru all that without putting any more metal in any part of me since..even clostrapobic as i can sometimes be... i find i can get ahead of it by shutting my eyes as soon as i get near the machine.. then they ask you what kind of music you would like to listen to just before the great machine starts thumping and banging so loud that you can not hear it anyway..- and if you are very fortunate, the little man on the other end of the sound system will let you swallow or cough about every 4.5 minutes...
it is amazing how it is possible to focus all your attention on that which is denied-- like "don't swallow" and the joy when someone says "you may now swallow"
i bet none of you reading this ever considered the concept of the joy in being told you may now swallow... but apply that idea to the recipient of one of our dogs, who was thrilled to be able to step up a 6" curb to get into the supermarket.---.moving along to the coach traveler who is thrilled to be bumped to first class-- that is a second hand speculation as it has never happended to me, .. i think i am fortunate to have had my fancy expectations curtailed long ago.... i do not even consider a fascination for driving a rolls royce motor car... i am thrilled each time i turn the key on my car and it starts !!!-- looking back, is it my fortune to have driven a collection of vw's that cost $100 each and one ford bronco that i found in a swamp?--keep it simple stupid... a roof that doesn't leak much...a room that is heated -- indoor plumbing---a faucet that runs water... ----there are too many people who have not lived without these things who's expectations exceed the capabilities of mommy nature to keep up with those expectatons... you gotta watch what you are being trained to believe.. especially if you are being trained to think you are entitled to something.
.take it to the extreme...... like yellow flowers in the middle of your lawn must be drenched in poison.----- all these golf courses on which presidents all "play" -- i have never seen one little yellow flower.- about as rare as a skirt in the congressional photogtaphs...
things do change ..
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EVE AND FINN
We had a lovely and busy Christmas and now we are recovering and planning a New Years Eve dinner with family. Between illnesses and scheduling conflicts Eve hasn’t been to therapy in a few weeks and was back to land PT for a check up today and Swim therapy is scheduled for tomorrow!
I’m comments I will post a video of her walking 5 mos ago and then today almost 4 mos post surgery! Not only is she clearly stronger you can see how frustrated she was 5 mos ago because it also didn’t feel good! Thank you Finn for helping her every step of the way!!
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Hello,
It's been a year now that I have been paired with Garnet, and I cannot imagine life without her by my side. Garnet is one patient girl and in this past year has learned and adjusted to, the quirks of my gait. She regularly nudges my left side to keep me from falling, and she will look up at me to make sure I got the message. She is one well behaved dog, and she gets so many compliments every time we go out. We also get a lot of the "I didn't know that Great Danes could be service dog's" comments, to which Garnet will give a heavy sigh and then wait patiently while I answer questions and tell them about SDP.
Again, there are no words for the appreciation I have for SDP and all that you do. Garnet has allowed me to move more, to be more independent, and to resume the advocacy work that I am involved with here in my home state. Garnet is the perfect ambassador for SDP wherever we go and with whomever we meet. She travels with me wherever I go and no matter what the size of the plane, she curls up as small as she can and travels like a pro.
When Garnet isn't working she loves couch time, and play time, and runs like a crazy woman all over the yard. She is gentle and goofy and yet always checks in on me wherever I am. So thank you, thank you. She has improved my life in so many ways, I appreciate all of you for all the time, effort and love you put into her.
Thank you and Happy New Year!
Karen Cushnyr and Garnet
