Swing Low, Sweet Charity

John was one of the first people we met when we moved here over a year ago. He's one of those dynamic, charismatic personality types. A bachelor and a real ladies man, the kids took to him immediately and I have to admit, so did I.

He's athletic: both an accomplished swimmer and an avid tennis player with a keen interest in car racing. I'm not sure he plays golf, but I can tell you, nothing would look more natural than John on a golf course holding a nine iron.

He's well spoken and mildly opinionated with an infectious laugh and a devastatingly handsome grin. His comedic timing has more than once sent this weak bladder into quivering spasms. His tender, sweet side has had me moved to tears, weeping with the poetry that seems to just pour out of him effortlessly.

Like us, he's a traveller, having toured his way through North America and Europe. He enjoys international and exotic cuisines just as much as we do, trading traditional American garbage for hummus or Szechuan.

He has a penchant for Irish music and late night delirious dancing. He enjoys a good party with friends and family and can always be found in the center of the action.

And John is wise. Very wise. He has the soulful eyes of one who has lived, seen, and understands.

Yet John is just 5 years old. Life has dealt him a hand that has forced this maturity. John has Type 1 Diabetes. He literally battles it every day, all day. I've witnessed his sugar highs and lows and watched as his mother lovingly prick his finger to test his blood sometimes multiple times each hour. Yes, each hour. Hour after hour. Trying to get his blood sugar under control. It is heartbreaking. And yet for John, it is. It just is.

This Sunday the kids and I will be walking with John in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund Walk to Find a Cure. What I didn't know, before I met John is that Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by a virus and that a cure is right around the corner. I was stunned. A CURE for diabetes.

I swore that I would not donate a dime to anything outside the Democratic cause this year. But this tugged at my heartstrings. How could it not? It's for John. And for millions of kids like him.

Don't believe me about John? Take a look for yourself. You'll find, he's quite a kid. This is a quick video clip of a speech he made about the need to find a cure for diabetes. Watch it. Then follow the link and donate a little. Just a teeny little bit. The kids and I will match what you donate, dime for dime. So a $5 donation is really like a $10 donation. It's like magic that way. And for all you Republicans, remember, every dollar donated is one more I cannot send to the DNC. I knew I could appeal to you greedy types somehow.



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Going to the Dogs

So many people have let me know that they have been thinking about us and Alyx and asking about how she's doing. I'm here to tell you that she is doing fabulous. She's almost completely healed from her surgery, although the spot where they shaved her is still bare. The chemo beads they placed in the incision spot have almost all dissolved. Her oncologist told us at her last appointment that we should "take her home and treat her like a normal dog." Those were the best words I could have heard.

We did have a bit of a scare following her surgery. The doctors were monitoring her kidney functions and the first few weeks her levels were quite abnormal. They talked of all kinds of things, including "renal failure." I held my breath and bribed her to drink more water with splashes of cage free, organic, low sodium chicken broth. But last week, when they retested her, all levels were well within the normal range. It seems that having two surgeries, one of which a pretty major surgery followed by chemotherapy, is a bit hard on 11 year old canine kidneys. Who'd a thunk it, huh?

But she bounced back and is doing great. She's back out there walking her two miles a day with Daddy and Freyja and playing and running around like the young pup she still is.

Speaking of Freyja, though... Wow. What were we thinking there? She's a delight and we really do love her. But... wow... ummm... handful? We've been having some food aggression issues which are scary. I mean they put dogs down for food aggression issues when they come to shelters. But our poor girl was virtually starved before she came to her foster family and she eats every meal like she hasn't eaten in days and she may not ever eat again. Add to that the chaos of small children and other dogs and you can see where the aggression lies. We've been feeding her by hand now and that has eliminated all the aggression. We also have her in obedience classes where I'm sure she'll soon outshine the other drab pups.

A couple of days after Alyx received the all clear from her doctors, Mike was playing with Freyja and called me over. "Hey, Heather. Have you noticed this lump on Freyja's mouth before?"

My heart sank. "Lump? What lump?" Sure enough, she has a lump growing within her right cheek. I took her to the vet and she assured me that it would be "very rare to see cancer in a dog this young." I laughed at this, "Like a mast cell tumor beneath the skin, right?"

She's going to have it aspirated when she gets her spay done next month. I don't know what we'd do if she too has cancer. We've blown our dog budget in the last few months. I won't even tell you by how much, but canine cancer treatment doesn't come cheap. Plus, we're having to build a fence around our backyard -- one that Freyja cannot jump over, all 55 lbs of her. And chew toys. Do you know how expensive chew toys are? Like 20 bucks a piece and when your puppy goes through them like they're cotton candy, that adds up. Oh, and don't forget the dog behaviorist who will be coming by for private sessions to rid her of her "rescue dog baggage."

Yes, we're doing our part to stimulate the economy. But we can't do it all by ourselves. Go out people and adopt yourself a dog!! Lots of dogs out there needing homes, especially those so called forclosure dogs -- dogs who's owners had to turn them over when they lost their home to forclosure. So get out there and stimulate by adopting a dog!

Anyway. That's our update. Truman, by the way, is as he always is. Just in case anyone is wondering. Poor Truman. He's such the middle child.