A Tribute to My Aunt

My Aunt J had breast cancer back in 1996. They gave her radiation treatments, and that put her into remission -- for 24 years. Last September, she told me that they had found another spot on her mammogram. They were going to do surgery to remove the spot and possibly do chemotherapy after that. It seemed like it would all be okay. But it wasn't. 

Scans showed that she had cancer in her lungs and ribs at that time. So, they cancelled the surgery and started chemotherapy. She was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. I knew this wasn't good, but I had hoped that they could contain the cancer and prolong her life. 

I won't go into all the nitty gritty details here, but as the months progressed, the cancer spread like wildfire, and none of the chemo treatments they tried (they tried three different kinds!) did anything to slow it down or stop the spread. 

Sadly, my aunt lost her life to the cancer yesterday morning at 7:32am. The end sounded just horrid. I am so sad she is gone, but I m happy she is not in so much pain or suffering anymore. She was only 76. She was taken too soon, in my opinion, but God must have needed her for something. 

My aunt did not want anyone to make a fuss over her death. I am writing this tribute in an effort to give myself some closure and to honor her memory. I hope that she understands that this is my way of saying good-bye. 

Finding My Sunshine: A Memoir Book REview

 

About the Book: Shannon was quick to blame others for her anger. She struggled with darkness and pain. Shannon was born with a learning disability, which left her feeling defeated. She tried drinking to quiet the demons inside her mind.

After being kicked out of college, Shannon began working in a nursing home as a Certified Nurses Aide (CNA). This is when the miracle began in Shannon's life. Shannon's new elderly friends served as angels, providing her insights and wisdom to help her find her path through life. 

Griffin's Heart: Mourning Your Pet with No Apologies Book Review

 

About the Book: Griffin's Heart: Mourning Your Pet with No Apologies is a unique pet loss book - it is a book, workbook, journal, and keepsake in one. The author invites readers to become active participants in the healing process by journalling, doing healing exercises, and placing photos. When a reader completes the grieving process with this book, it becomes a keepsake the pet parent can cherish for a lifetime. 

The author, Reagan J. Pasternak, shares her own story of loss and offers comfort and insight to readers as they go through the grieving process. Reagan Pasternak draws on her own experiences, philosophy, religion, and literature to help create a safe space where readers can exploree and experience their feelings after the death of a beloved pet. 

My Thoughts: One thing I love about this book is that the author recognizes and validates how difficult losing a beloved pet is. She also stresses the fact that everyone's grieving journey will be different - there is no "right" way to grieve, and there is no "right" amount of time to grieve. 

Caring for a Cat When You Are Visually Impaired

I have a severe vision impairment caused by a degenerative eye condition called optic nerve atrophy. Having very little vision makes everything from finding what I need at the grocery store to reading books by my favorite authors a challenge. Though caring for my two special needs cats can be challenging as well, I find caring for my precious fur babies to be the most rewarding thing I do each day. Through the years, I've learned several tricks for caring for cats I'd like to share in hopes that other visually impaired and completely blind individuals can care for their kitties with ease and confidence.

Locating Your Cat

Some people find the bells on cat collars annoying. Personally, I find them to be very helpful in locating my cats. While my two cats are different colors – Carmine is an orange tabby while Lita is a blue lynx-point Siamese – I cannot differentiate between the two if they are more than a few feet away from me.

I learned that putting differently-pitched bells on their collars helps me know who's who when they're moving around. Lita has a high-pitched bell on her collar while Carmine's bell has a lower pitch. It can be challenging to find bells with different pitches, but if you check your local pet supply stores, you should be able to find collars with differently-pitched bells on them for your cats.

Happy 16th Gotcha Day, Carmine!

 

Hi everyone, it's mes, Carmine!

Guess what today is? It's mines Gotcha Day! 

Sixteen years ago, the Mom visited mes in the PetSmart adoption center. Mes sensed that mes could wrap the Mom around my little orange paw, and guess what? Mes was right! 

The Mom says mes cans has my favorite breakie later. And hers is going to spend extra special Mom and Moo time with mes, too. Hers calls mes Moo cause mes likes to say, "Moooo." The Mom doesn't often sit still, but hers is going to sit still so hers can has extra time with mes today. Mes likes it when there bes a lap for mes. 

Thank yous for visiting mes on my Gotcha Day!

Happy 16th Gotcha Day, Carmine!

We love you!!