I don?t know how you might personify words like love, companion, pal, loyal, faithful, dear, steadfast ? for me they can be summed up in one word: Sadie. Her full name is Newkadera Sadie Peg O? My Heart, and she?s a soft-coated Irish wheaten terrier.
Today, after one last visit to the vet and a long drive to the USDA office for their endorsement on her travel paperwork, Sadie will be ready to travel and I will be ready to fulfill a promise I made to her ? nearly seven years ago ? to take her home.
I?ve never fully trained Sadie as a service dog, but she has been of service to me since before I got the lass. The photos that zipped their way to my computer screen ? thousands of miles away from her home of birth ? filled me with anticipation and joy. The hours we spend on the floor when it?s easier for me to simply stay down rather than rise only to fall again have offered diversion and fun. The long (and more often, short) walks on my good days have left me feeling alive and a part of the real world outside of my bubble.
Service animal or not, pets can mean so much to someone living with a chronic illness. Both physiologically and psychologically, having time with a pet is proven to reduce blood pressure, relieve stress and even prolong life. They are so much more than merely pets to us.
I could fill volumes (and have already written magazine articles and filled pages of a book) with stories about Sadie. But the Life with MS Blog isn?t ?The Trevis Show.? It?s a community of people gathered around a cyber-fire and sharing bits of ourselves and our lives.
I offer, rather, a place for you to tell your stories of pets ? still with you or departed and fondly missed.
Many a sleepless night has been focused on getting Sadie home to Ireland safely. Irrational fears of what could go wrong have diverted my attention from the thousands of things that might actually go awry during this move. For that I am actually grateful, as the weight of all of those scenarios would have been crushing.
Off we go; into the wild, blue yonder tomorrow ? Sadie, Caryn and I ? to land in the fabled fields of 40 shades of green. She?s set to travel and so am I.
Wishing you and your family the best of health.
Cheers
Trevis
You can also follow me via our Life With MS Facebook page, on Twitter, and in our group on MS Connection.org. Also, check out our bi-monthly MS blog for the United Kingdom, look for our very special new monthly blog for the National MS Society, and don?t forget to check out TrevisLGleason.com.
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