Minnesota – hugmamma's MIND, BODY and SOUL

Pat shared the following with family and close friends just the other day…

Hi everyone,

First want to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. I hear them and feel them all the way in Minnesota! I was anxious prior to coming here…had a hard time packing for the trip…ended up just throwing a bunch of sweaters and jeans in my bag. It’s cold here!

We were at the Mayo all day yesterday from 8 in the morning until almost 5. Met with the doctor first thing in the morning, Dr. Gertz…I liked him as soon as we met him. Reminds me of a Seinfeld character; reminded Brad of Mr. Weasley from Harry Potter. Everything about the Mayo is impressive, not at all intimidating. Anyway, had to do a few tests…nothing major…and will follow up with the doc again today. Basically, he thinks I’m a good candidate for a transplant. He likes my numbers and the chemo I did back home did what it was supposed to do.

(At this point, the email ended. And then came…)

Sorry, fat fingers. Hit “send” by mistake…

Doc reviewed all my records while we were sitting there and was “unimpressed” by some results. Other results were “unremarkable.” I told Brad being called unremarkable is the best compliment in the world. Means my numbers and test results are normal. We later met with a social worker to go over the psychological part of this whole thing. He and a nurse went into more detail about what happens during the transplant itself, breaking it down almost week by week.

At the Mayo, the time spent here would be more like 5 to 6 weeks as opposed to the 3 months [as I’d originally thought.] It would be on an outpatient basis. So no extended hospital stay unless necessary.

Last thing I did yesterday was an echocardiogram. In order to do the transplant, they need to make sure I’m healthy enough…or specifically that my heart is healthy enough. So we meet with Dr. Gertz in about an hour to go over all the results. Once he confirms I’m a good candidate, he will let my Kaiser doc know and we’ll go from there.

After today’s appointment we might be done here. If so we’ll probably head to the Mall of America or maybe an Indian casino…or maybe the Spam Museum. So much to do (not!) and so little time…can’t wait to get home…this is not your typical fun-filled vacation.

Aiden made it home safely. Ethan is getting himself to school, thanks to Uncle Bear, Aunty Steph and Reese. Hopefully, he’s also getting his homework done.

We’ll see you all soon.

Love you all,
Pat and Brad

…and it goes without saying…we all love you two.

………hugmamma.

Image via Wikipedia

Events in Japan have put me in a thoughtful mood of late. Decided to lift my own spirits, and perhaps yours, by reprinting the story of Nashi, an elder statesman, who recently passed away. A long-time resident of a local zoo, he seemed to be viewed as one of them, by his human caretakers. Needless to say they mourned him as they would a member of their families. The following tribute ran in today’s local newspaper.

Image via Wikipedia

The community is invited to Cougar Mountain Zoo to honor the life of Nashi, a cougar transplanted from the woods of Minnesota to the zoo more than 17 years ago.

Nashi died from old age Feb 24. Though he had been showing signs of slowing down for the past several months, the loss was still devastating to staff, volunteers and zoo visitors. Cougar Mountain Zoo General Curator Robyn Barfoot said.

“He was a fantastic cougar. He had a lot of spunk in him,” she said. “He enjoyed talking with the visitors every day.”

The Nashi Memorial Celebration will be at March 26 at the zoo. Instead of holding its traditional cougar lecture, the zoo will open the stage for people to talk about Nashi. Staff members who raised and worked with him will talk about his life.

“I used to joke around that he’s a rock star, because he is,” Barfoot said. At the zoo, Nashi would model for product labels, television shows and nature documentaries. “He actually sat in the mayor’s chair when he was a cub,” she said. “He definitely made the rounds and left a mark on many people.”

Volunteers and zoo visitors are also encouraged to share their Nashi stories, talking about how he made them feel when he chirped or purred in their presence.

“His purrs were really unique,” Barfoot said. “He had a low guttural purr and he would stick his tongue out. If you got a purr from Nashi, your day was pretty darn perfect.”

Image via Wikipedia

Nashi came to the zoo as a cub after he was found orphaned in Minnesota. His full name, Nashidoita, is Blackfoot Indian for Spirit of the Mountains.

“He was a great cat and everyone who worked at the zoo had a relationship with him, not just the people who worked directly with him,” Barfoot said.

My family and I were fortunate to watch Nashi prowl the confines of his Cougar Mountain Zoo hideaway. He looked every bit the master of all he surveyed. And obviously he was.

hugs for cats…big and small…wild and not-so-wild…hugmamma.