Anonymous Donor Brings Laura Beckett Home

RSA patient was stuck in German hospital after developing MRSA infection

By DAWN TIMMENEY

Updated 12:14 AM EST, Fri, Jan 30, 2009

As the air ambulance carrying his sick wife touched down at Atlantic Aviation at the airport, Karl Beckett still couldn't believe the love of his life was home.

This was the moment he had been praying for the last three months.

"We’ve never been apart since we've been together. This is the first time we've ever been apart. Thanksgiving, Christmas, all that, it was just horrible," Beckett said.

Laura Beckett had been stuck in a German hospital since November where she developed a debilitating infection while being treated for RSD, a painful nervous system disorder.

Her family, unable to pay more than $71,000 for an air ambulance to bring her home, turned to NBC10.
An anonymous viewer came to the Beckett's aid, and so did many other generous people.

"You always see it on TV but you never realize stuff like this does happen," Beckett said.
Karl and the couple’s two sons were there as the plane doors opened.Laura’s son Karl said his emotions ran the gamut as he saw the plane come in.

“A little bit of everything. Mixed emotions, excited, happy, a little sad, my heart was racing. I just want her to get her the proper care she needs," said Laura’s son Karl.

The couple's daughter Jillian, who was on the plane and has been by her mother’s side, was overcome with emotion.

The family can't believe so many people, friends and strangers, came forward to help them.

"I had a gentleman come to the door and anonymously give me a check. It was amazing,” said Karl Beckett.

Craig Poliner of Med Escort worked with the anonymous donor and coordinated Laura’s trip home.

"This is something that doesn't happen every day and so it is it's quite remarkable that somebody stepped up...one of your viewers and we were able to get her home,” Poliner said.

"[The donor] hasn't come forward yet, but when he does I’m gonna give him the biggest hug in the world," Karl Jr. said.

Laura can't speak or move her legs or arms, but she knows that she's back home.

The flight crew said everything went smoothly on the return.

She was immediately taken to a local hospital where doctors will re-assess her condition.

Of course we'll keep you posted.

Pain, Gates & Brain, Oh My!

As silly as this may sound, you have "Gates" in your brain. I know, I was just as surprised when I first learned about them. That's why I am so anxious to share this insightful information with you.

If you are anything like me in your suffering with Chronic Pain, you most likely 'feel' your pain more intensely during the night hours. When you are trying to go to sleep, you're trying to get completely relaxed, then all of a sudden, boom, you really start 'feeling' the pain stronger and in more areas, Yes?

The reason for that is because of the number of competing messages arriving at the "gate" is usually far less at night than it is during the day. Because of no competition many more of those pain messages get through. So what are we to do? Simple really, you have to do something that will excite the nerve center directly, something like acupressure! Acupressure is a lot like Acupuncture with the exception of the needles. Which works better for me, how about you?

The first and most difficult lesson to really grasp is that pain is natural! Don't raise your eyebrows at that statement, read on! It is the response of the body to both external (exogenous) and internal (endogenous) events, signaling us about danger or to take caution, and providing us with a survival mechanism that allows us to respond to an injury, be it a new injury or an old one.

One way to understand the mechanism of pain is to view pain as messages descending from the your brain or ascending to the extremities of your body through this massive highway of nerve fibers. Can you picture it? These nerves meet up at a "GATE" (actually a series of gates) where your spinal cord joins with your brain. Sort of like a 'bottleneck' in rush hour traffic, 'pain' messages crowd in with other messages it has gathered from your body along the journey down that massive highway. Then it sits and waits for a chance to get through, sort of like that person who sits through a green light but is more than willing to go right through the red lights. So what happens is some messages are received and others don't get through at all.

See, every experience you have in life is remembered by your brain. And that experience is attached to the emotion or feelings you had at the time of that experience. (e.g. fear, pleasure, pain, depression, loneliness, worthlessness, etc.).

So when you are confronted with a new situation, your mind attempts to make sense of it by scanning the deep recesses of every corner for similar experiences. Once it finds that experience, it also brings up the attached feelings that goes along with it.

If the attached feeling is uncomfortable or painful, your mind then looks for a way to get rid of the pain. It comes to a quick conclusion about what you should think or how you should act, then it does something really damaging for you, it 'justifies' that conclusion by pulling in evidence to support it.

Then you make a move that is based almost entirely on OLD experiences or things you had previously learned! What is so surprising is ALL of this happens in an instant, BEFORE the logical or rational part of your brain ever has a chance to "think it through".

So learning acupressure is something to be looked at as a NEW experience that can override everything, allowing you to control the opening and closing of your "gates". Wow, that possibility would allow you to be able to get into bed, lay back, get comfortable, and truly enjoy a good nights sleep. Is acupressure the answer for everybody? Probably not, but how do you know if it will work for you if you don't give it a try?

There are several options you have at your fingertips; acupressure, tapping, meditation, exercise, etc., but remember; if one doesn't work for you that doesn't mean another won't, so try and try again. I would also recommend you have someone who is familiar with your choice to help walk you through how it should be done to get the benefits to the fullest.

The secret of a better and more full-filled life is to cast out those old, dead, unhealthy thoughts. Opening those "gates" for the new, vital, nourishing, wholesome, faith based thoughts to come flying in. An intake of new thoughts will remake you and your life!

Life - Through The Eyes Of A Child!

This afternoon I was to pick up my 4 year old grand-daughter from school and then she would be spending the weekend with me. Well, what I am about to tell you happened on our way back to my house from the school, and this story will crack you up as well as make you think! Because through the eyes of a child, life looks soooo different!!

Let me tell ya, my grand-daughter is something else! She is 4 going on 40 I think. But she is the "Sunshine Of My Life" and always will be.

Anyway, To begin with....We live in Texas right? Well, as we are driving down the road on our way to my house from the school, she shouts loudly...."There's a kangaroo taking a nap over there. Turn around!" ERRRR, Now no matter how much I tried to convince her that kangaroo's aren't in this part of the world except in zoo's, she insisted that I turn around and go back, because now she thinks it might be sick or hurt and need our help!! So I turn around, go back and wait for her to tell me to stop wherever this kangaroo was napping, because I sure didn't know!!

Finally she shouts again saying, "Stop, there it is, there it is" Now I am really starting to look around trying to find some animal that might look like a kangaroo, but I am not finding any animal what so ever!! I pull up into this driveway of an old business and stop. She says, "I want to get out and you need to come with me Yetta." (Yetta is Yiddish for Grandmother so all the grandkids call me that....not because I'm Yiddish, but because they have so many other grandparents it was like....Grandma who? hahahhaa, so I wanted to make sure that whenever they were talking about me, everyone knew who they were talking about! hahahaha).

So we get out of the car and I am completely clueless as to which way we are suppose to be walking, so I start following her. ( I know, chickeny way out, but you know you would have done the same thing! hahaaha ).

She is walking very slowly, carefully, almost tiptoeing really. I ask her, "Why are you walking so slow?" She turned around and looked at me with this scowl on her face and said, "uhh Yetta, if it's napping we don't want to wake it up." Now I am trying sooooooo hard not to laugh by swallowing hard and I simply say back to her, "Oh, I didn't think of that. Good job! You are so smart! I am so proud of you!" Well she ate that up big time hahaha.

Ok, so I am still looking everywhere for some animal that might look like a kangaroo in the grass beside the road, which is a two lane road, can't see anything but grass, weeds, and paper....but I am still following her.

Finally she stops, turns around, looks at me and says, "shhhhhh there it is, but I don't think it is a kangaroo anymore." I said, "You don't? What do you think it is then?" Now again, I am doing everything in my power not to completely bust a gut here.....She looks at me all sad and pitiful like and says, "It ain't nothing but some ole junky tire that some idiot left here to make me think it was a kangaroo!!"

Ok....I bust out laughing now!! And she asks me, "Why are you laughing Yetta?" Uh oh, now what do I say? All kinds of thoughts are rolling around in my head looking for the perfect response to that when finally I say, "Well Cheyenne, I think you are right. Someone left that ole tire here, but not because they are an idiot, and not because they wanted you to think there was a kangaroo there! They left it there because they were too lazy to pick it up and throw it away."

So with the biggest smile on her face, she asks, "Can we pick it up and put it in our trash?" Now I know I am bios, and I know she is just too cute, but that just won my heart andI know I gave her one of those oh so proud looks, as I said, "You betcha sweetie, we can pick up that ole tire and put it in our trash, no problem!!"

So we did just that, but as we were putting it in the trash bin, she said, "I didn't want to see a dumb ole kangaroo anyway!" hahahahahahaa. She is a mess I tell ya, a funny...too grown mess! hahaahahhaa.

I just had to share this with you all....it was too good to keep all to myself!! Below is a couple of pictures of Cheyenne from early evening when she was helping feed the baby calf named 'Blind' Faith.

Trapped in a Medical Nightmare

NJ woman travels to Germany for banned medical treatment, ends up fighting for her life!

By KATHIE MCDERMOTT

Updated 12:20 PM EST, Thu, Jan 22, 2009

Family Photo

Laura Beckett suffers from RSD which produces extreme pain. She traveled to Germany with hopes of relieving that pain through a procedure that is banned in the United States.

Karl Beckett of Magnolia, NJ is forced to talk to his wife Laura through an Internet connection. That’s because she's been in a German hospital since November 1st.

“Hi hon, I love you. Stick your tongue out and let Jill know you can hear me. You need you to hang in there and keep fighting," Beckett tells his wife via the video-conference.nig

Laura suffers from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), a nervous system disorder leading to constant and extreme pain.

"She would actually start crying in pain…basically had to crawl upstairs,” Beckett said.

Laura ended up in a German hospital because the treatment she hoped would relieve her pain is banned in the U.S.

Called “Special K,” doctors give large amounts of the anesthetic Ketamine to induce a five-day coma.

Karl says local doctor Robert Schwartzman suggested the trip.

"He said the treatment in Germany was the only hope of getting her any relief.”

But then, Laura’s family says she developed a MRSA staph infection two days into her treatment.

MRSA is resistant to many antibiotics and Beckett said it has caused so much damage that now Laura can't use her arms or legs. She also needs help breathing and can't talk.

Their 23-year-old daughter Jillian is in Germany with her mom and sends video home.

Dr. Schwartzman declined an interview, but said through a spokeswoman that the German coma cure is offered as an option for those who have not benefited from other treatments.

He said nothing like this has ever happened before and that his office is doing everything possible on behalf of Laura.

Karl says he doesn't blame anyone but is unprepared for getting his wife home.

An air ambulance would cost over $71,000 -- money the laid-off heating and air conditioning worker says he doesn’t have.

He says a generous acquaintance paid about $41,000 for the Ketamine treatment, but that money has run out.

Karl says Laura’s absence is hardest on their youngest son.

Laura has medical insurance, but it won't cover the cost of getting her back to South Jersey. So the family remains stuck in medical limbo with no idea how or when they'll get Laura home.

Source

Unburden Yourself & Participate In YOUR Life!!

Many of the "little" things that cause you continuing frustration can be greatly reduced or eliminated. It's simply a matter of taking the time and making the effort to do so. The small frustrations are usually the easiest to get rid of, because they are small, though, you may not have made it a priority to deal with them.

Remember....that the small frustrations add up quickly!!
When combined together, they can impose a major burden on your time and your life.

So make the choice to unburden yourself from them, one by one. Devote some time to ridding yourself of many of those little frustrations that can add together to drag you down!!

At first glance, it may seem like a waste to spend an hour or two dealing with something that normally sets you back only a few minutes each day. Yet if you can save yourself those few minutes, day after day, month after month, it can add up to an enormous amount of time. And by freeing yourself from more and more small frustrations, you free your mind and your spirit to focus on the positive, meaningful things. Find ways to unburden yourself from the little frustrations, and you'll find opportunities to add greatly to the richness of your life.

It's always easier and more pleasant to sit back and watch the world. But it's even better to jump in and participate. There is so much you have to offer. There are so many beautiful gifts you have to give.

Weave the thread of your own special perspective into the fabric of life. Become an active part of YOUR world and everyone will be richer for it.

So....Get up, Get Out, Get Going and Get Involved!!

Every day, in all sorts of ways, there are opportunities to make a difference in your own unique way. Put real meaning into life by participating fully in it. Put real value into your world by giving of the value that is within YOU!!

Don't just sit there and watch life happen. Make yourself a vital and positive part of it, and you will make YOUR life great!!

Baby Calf Has A Name....

I tell ya, it wasn't easy to make this decision with all the WONDERFUL suggestions everyone provided me!! And I do so appreciate each and every one of those suggestions!! But the name I have decided to be so fitting for the precious baby girl, was one I had thought of before asking for suggestions, but wasn't completely sold on either....I'm sure you all can kind of relate to that kind of indecisiveness, or maybe now....hahahahaha!


But tonight while I was driving to Ft. Worth in the dark with very little to do but think, I ran through the list of all the names submitted as well as those I had thought of and this one just fits her so well, that I had to chose it for her!! I am sure you all will agree, once you all know what the name is huh?? hahahaha


The name I picked is: "Blind Faith" but 'Faith' is what she will go by!! Hope you all will let me know what you think of that name, and I hope you aren't disappointed that your suggestions weren't picked....I will keep them for the next calf that is abandoned, but hopefully that one won't be blind!!


You all are such great people to give me all those excellent suggestions....and they all fit her very well, which made this so much more difficult than I had ever thought!!!!!!!


I will keep you all updated on her progress, as I plan on bridle training her when I return home in a week or so. She needs to learn how to listen and follow the voice she hears so she doesn't get lost on her way to and from the corral to the pasture and back. Because I do so want her to be able to go into the pasture and graze like she is suppose to and enjoy her life without always being penned up!! So I am really anxious to get started on training her, and I have 'faith' that she will do well!!


Many Thanks To You ALL!!!!


~God Bless~


So, Without further ado, Ladies & Gentlemen It is my great pleasure to introduce to you:
Miss 'Blind' Faith Martindale

Local man dies after suffering 'devastating' disease

written by: Adam Chodak posted by: Jen Marnowski 1 day ago

THORNTON, CO. - In March of 2007, Nick Hoch broke his toe. The accident triggered a nightmare of a disease defined primarily by unrelenting pain.

Hoch, 37, had been working for Budweiser, loading and unloading beer throughout the Denver area.

While on the job, he dropped a keg on his foot. Doctors removed two bones from one of his toes and replaced them with pins.

Hoch, a Thornton resident and father of three, should have bounced back quickly. He didn't.

"It got progressively worse," his father, Tom, said.

Tom watched as the pain not only intensified, but moved beyond his foot and into his legs.

"You touched him, he was in brutal agony," he remembered.

Hoch had what's called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Doctors once referred to it as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD).

This is the same disease Leslie Fishbein - the Denver furniture magnate who died earlier this year - had.

"It's devastating and it can become all-consuming for patients," said pain specialist Dr. Mike McCeney. "It basically takes over their lives."

McCeney, who works in northern Colorado, said CRPS is usually the result of a relatively minor injury like a broken bone.

He said the nervous system, for some reason, goes haywire causing "pain that's actually way out of proportion to the actual injury that has occurred."

The pain can be managed, but there's no cure for CRPS.

McCeney said not many know about the disease, including those in the medical community.

"There's some doctors out there that don't know about the entity and unfortunately (some patients) don't get treatment going soon enough, which can be a problem," he said.

Hoch struggled with the pain for nearly two years. This week, Hoch went into the hospital to undergo a procedure that could have tempered the pain.

Early Wednesday morning, just hours before the scheduled surgery, Tom Hoch got a call.

"That was it," he said. "I mean 37 years old and he's gone."

Hoch still doesn't know what exactly killed his son, but he does know he'll continue to get the word out about this horrible disease.

"You wouldn't wish this on your worst enemy," he said.

(Copyright KUSA*TV, All Rights Reserved) Source

Please watch this video from the News:

Help Name My Baby Girl....

We have discovered that this beautiful baby girl has not only been abandoned by her Momma, but the poor little girl is also blind!! She was born on Wednesday, January 7th, 2009. (You can read her birthing story in an earlier post called: "Calf, Bulldozer, & Me....What do these things have in common?").

I have adopted her and plan on doing some training with her so she can get out of the pen and be able to graze as she needs to just as soon as I possibly can. But in the meantime, the precious girl is in need of a name befitting her and I am having a difficult time coming up with one, so I put together this mini movie and am asking for any and all suggestions from everyone.

Put your suggestions in the comments and I will give them all consideration, and I will then let everyone know which one I picked for this beautiful, precious gift!!

Thank You All & God Bless!!

Camo Up for Coyote Hunting, If You Dare! =)

I was going to post this yesterday, but got so busy that time just got away from me. Sorry.

Thursday evening Jonathan, (my hubby) got home about 5:00, which is REAL early from him. Dan and I were standing outside feeding the cows when he got here, and I was telling Dan about this really big cat I had seen earlier in the day, when he walked up and listened in.(And I'm not talking about a "kitty cat").
Well, they both looked at me liked I had finally lost that last screw that was holding things together or something, but I knew what I had seen!!

Jonathan goes ahead in the house and "cammo's up". When he walked back out, he was in full disguise, from head to toe and including his face being covered with a piece of fabric that was attached to the hat. He looked like a walking tree. hahahahahaha.

He asked me where the baby was born, where the coyotes were, and then with much sarcasm, where the "big cat" was. I showed all the sites and watched him walk out into the pasture. Keeping an eye on the bull, so he wouldn't come up behind Jonathan and head butt him to the ground.

Jonathan heads to the area where the baby was born and kneels down in among some bushes. Well, momma cow had watched him walking over there and was making a beeline over to see what he was doing. Momma gets there, finds Jonathan in the bushes and begins mooing at him over and over again. My heart was completely breaking for her, because I knew she was so desperately searching for her baby. I had to go inside at that point because the tears were turning into waterfalls flowing down my cheeks. I had to tell myself that we 'had' to take that baby out of there or those coyotes would have gotten it, and momma probably would have killed it first. It wasn't easy to convince myself of that though after hearing her crying at Jonathan like she did.

A couple of hours go by and it was pitch black outside, when all of a sudden I heard a "BOOM" of a gun. I thought to myself, "He must have got one". About 20 minutes later he came walking through the door and I asked him, "I heard you take a shot, did ya get a coyote?" He looks at me, takes a deep breath as in disgust and says, "Nope, I didn't even see them!" Needless to say, I was more than a little shocked since I had heard a shot.
I said, "But I heard you shoot, or was that you?" He said, "Let me tell ya about that."

So he sits down in his recliner and begins, "I am so mad at myself, I could just spit!! I was sitting there in this bush using my dying rabbit call, and had just told myself how badly I suck at using it and was going to the house." He says, "I stood up and seen something move out the corner of my eye. I turned to see what it was, when all of a sudden it jumped about 5 ft to the left and scared the crap out of me." He continued with, "You know that "cat" you seen earlier?" Well, that's not a "big" cat, that's a "BIG ASS BOBCAT!!!!"

Of course by this time my eyes are as big as saucers and my mind is swirling with all sorts of possible scenarios. He took another deep breath and said, "That bobcat was almost slithering up behind me about 10 feet, looking for that dying rabbit it was hearing. When I stood up, I scared it almost as much as he scared me. But it was so close I could have thrown a rock at it. We were looking eye to eye almost." My mouth was hitting the floor with hearing this and I said, "Are you alright? Did it jump you? Are you bleeding?"
I could have asked even more questions, but Jonathan stopped me! He said, "NO, nothing like that happened." "When we finished 'sizing up' one another, I pulled my shotgun up and before I could get the scope to my eye that bobcat was on the run!" He said, "I took one shot, but it was behind the back legs....or even further" "But that is the BIGGEST Bobcat I have ever seen!!" He says.

Next thing I knew, Jonathan was on the phone, calling first one friend and then another telling them of his Bobcat encounter. I tell ya, some of the things he was telling them was so funny....now that I had already heard it and knew he was alright, of course!! But I thought I was going to wet myself when he was talking to his best friend and said it like this:

"I was sitting there cussing myself about not being able to call in anything with that dying rabbit call and was calling it a night. I went to stand up and seen something move on the left of me. I turn, seen it was a Big Ass Bobcat and next thing I knew I was screaming: SHITTTTTTTT, my heart went to my throat and shit rolled down my legs!!" hahahahahaha I so cracked up laughing!!

On the one hand I was laughing at his rendition of his experience, but on the other hand I was relieved that he seen the 'big cat' he didn't seem to believe me about earlier, but I didn't want it 'that' close to him. hahahaha

Update on the baby calf:

It took her a couple days and lots of us helping her, but she is now standing on her own...still shaky, but getting better at it every day. Her neck is now back to it's normal position, took lots of massaging and a crushed up Motrin in her milk. I know, some of you are thinking....'What, you gave Motrin to a calf?' Yeppers, sure enough did!! She was in pain and needed relief, wouldn't you want someone to give you relief?? That's what I thought!! It helped 100% get her relaxed enough so while massaging her neck she was able to move it more freely and 'feeeeeeel' better!!

Today we are going to put her momma in the squeeze shoot, bring baby over and see if she will nurse from momma. Maybe, just maybe we can get momma to accept her back and she can run and play in the pasture with the other babies and momma's. Wouldn't that be great? Although I would like to keep her as a pet, but we will see what God has in mind for this precious bundle and go from there!

Oh and Jonathan will take some pictures of baby today....and possibly of Phyllis, Baby, and myself in the bucket of the bulldozer as we bring baby back over here to momma. (guess I better go shower and get some make up on just in case huh??). hahahahahaha

I will keep you all updated on how it goes today with momma and baby, and will post those pictures as well. =)

Calf, Bulldozer & Me....What do these things have in common?

Yesterday on one of the 'many' trips of letting my dogs out to go potty, my Chihuahua (Peanut) was pretty close to the cattle gate by the pasture sniffing around. I walked down to make sure she didn't go under the gate into the pasture with the cows, because she wouldn't be the same little doggie if she did. hahahahaa.

As I got up to the gate, a cow came up to the gate, let me pet her on the nose a couple of times and for me to notice her ear tag which showed her to be cow #14. After I petted her, she turned around and I noticed on her tail there was some mucus so I knew she was either about to give birth, or had already given birth. But when she was quickly trotting away from me she was grunting pretty badly. So I scurried to the house with the dogs to get the phone and to leave the dogs inside. I called my in-laws house to let them know about what I was witnessing, but they weren't home, so I left a message. When I got back out where I could see the cow, she was standing near the woods and her backside was towards me....Then all of a sudden it happened!! She gave birth, right there standing up....I got to see the whole thing. I tell ya, I was wide eyed and wide mouthed as this was happening..and excited at the same time. I called my in-laws house again leaving them the message of the birth and that I would keep an eye on momma and baby so we can make sure baby is alright. As I leaned on the gate, the bull came up wanting to be congratulated or something, because he could not get enough of my loving as he rested his big ole head on my shoulder and licked my cheek a few times....which was such a delight and major treat for me. hahahahaha

I watched as momma cleaned baby and baby was rolled all over out there, I was feeling so sorry for that baby for sure!!

Then after an hour, baby had not stood up yet and they should be up within the first 15 minutes of birth. So I knew something was wrong with the baby. I also noticed that none of the other cows were over there with momma and they usually stay close to one another to protect the baby while momma cleans up all the mess from where the baby has been. Which clinched it for me, that baby was sick or hurt and we needed to get it out as soon as possible or the momma would kill it.

As I was about to call my in-laws again to see if they were back yet or to leave a message with that info on it, off in the distance, but not too far from baby, I noticed some coyotes coming closer and momma had walked away from baby. I left an entirely different message for my in-laws telling them the baby was down, coyotes coming close....bring your gun!!

Now, I had no idea where my in-laws were, or when they would be home, but I knew I had to keep those coyotes from getting any closer to that baby without me getting into the pasture myself. So I started making all sorts of noises, singing as loud (and horribly) as I could and they backed off. But all that bad singing caused the bull to fall in love with me I think....hahahahaha. He followed me where ever I went and snorted at the other cows if they came anywhere close to me....hahahahaa Hope he don't try to mount me...hahahahaha.

Anyway, FINALLY my father in law (Dan) came over with his bulldozer and some feed. We rounded up all the cattle and closed them up in the pen so we could go in the pasture without being in danger. Dan and I walked over to where the baby was laying and the poor thing was shivering terribly and it's neck was pulled back really far. Dan and I got down on our knees to feel it over to see if anything was broken on it's body, couldn't feel anything. Then my mother in law (Phyllis) walked out there to us and the 3 of us tried to stand the baby up, but it just couldn't hold itself up. So Dan pulled the bulldozer close and the 3 of us put this baby, that weighed 75 lbs. at least, in the bucket of the bulldozer. Phyllis sat on one side of the baby in the bucket, and I sat on the other side of the baby in the bucket, and we got it out of the pasture.

Dan opened the pen to let the cattle out and momma went 'running' over to where baby was, and close behind her was all the other cattle. When momma got over there and seen baby was gone, she was MAD!! She went to fighting with the other cows, bellowing for the baby, and kicking up dust like crazy. I felt so bad for her, but we had to get the baby out of there before night fall or before she herself killed it because there was something wrong with it.

Phyllis, baby, and I rode in the bucket over to my in laws house and Phyllis went in and made it a bottle of milk. (They keep calf bottles and powered calf milk on hand for just this kind of situation). I fed the baby and it sucked down not one, but 2 bottles within 10 minutes. It was so hungry and starting to get dehydrated.

As we waited for a neighbor to come take a look at the calf, I was sitting in the bucket with it's head next to my leg and my hand under it. And then, I turned into a human "pacifier"!! Nope, it wasn't sucking on my fingers, uh uh....it liked my leg. That's right my leg!! It was licking and sucking on my leg and it's shivering would calm.

Joe (neighbor) got there and felt all over it's body to see if there was a reason it would be holding it's head the way it was, and he couldn't find anything broken, but the muscles down the backside of it's neck was extremely tight, but that was all. I asked him if he knew of any good "Cow-a-practers". hahahahaha.

Joe picked up the baby, all by himself....WOW, and carried it to a pallet of blankets Dan had made on the floor of his barn and laid her gently down. I then covered it up with another blanket and laid down beside it to give it my body heat and to comfort it from all the stress it had been through so far.

It finally calmed down and the shivering was far and few between, like when you get cold then go inside a warm place but you still shiver for awhile, then the shivering itself stops, but every once in awhile you still shiver or maybe it is a shudder. But I am sure you all know what I am talking about.

Once she was all calm, Joe started feeling on it's legs, belly, chest, and making sure it's legs could straighten out. All seemed well in those areas, and we found out the baby is a girl!! But still no answer as to why her head was tilted back like it was.

So we covered her all up, tucking the blanket all around her, and I held her head and caressed it until she fell fast asleep.
Then I got help getting up and came home. Which my dogs were sooooo very happy to see!! They had their poor little legs crossed...hahahahahaaha.

Keep in mind all this started about 1:00 or so in the afternoon and I didn't get back home until 8:30 in the evening!!

About 3am I had to let the dogs out for their 'usual' call to release!! When I first walked out the door, I heard momma bellowing for her baby and heart so went out to her, but I know we did the right thing! But a few seconds later I heard 'many' coyotes howling very loudly and somewhat close. I figure they are mad as all get out that what they thought would be dinner is gone!!

Now, here's the wonderful part!! She is a beautiful calf....and I think God sent me outside when he did, because I normally don't pay much attention to the cows out there, but I watched this calf come out of it's momma....and I was there to protect her from the coyotes.....and she is now safe, warm and cared for. God sure knows what He is doing doesn't He?? I am so grateful that I was here and able to do whatever I could to help save the life of this beautiful baby calf!!

I called this morning and baby is doing pretty good. Still can't stand on it's own, but is drinking down the milk like nobody's business...hahahahahaha. Phyllis told me that I make a pretty good mid-wife for cows...hahahahahaha how funny is that? I told her I would be like one of those sheep dogs and sit on a hilltop and watch over the herd. hahahahaha.

Everyone has asked if we got a picture of Phyllis and I riding in the bucket of the bulldozer with the calf. Nope, sure didn't!! Sure wish we would have though, that would be an awesome picture wouldn't it. hahahahaha
I do plan on getting some pictures of the baby today when my hubby comes home and I will post them for you to see her. Oh yeah, my hubby is coming home early tonight because he is going coyote hunting!! Maybe we'll have a picture of one of those as well....hahahahaha.

Now, you want to know how I am doing today?? Well, I am pretty sore, but I feel it was for a extremely good reason!! I am not experiencing any RSD flares, and I haven't fallen within the past 24 hours, so God is watching over me indeed!! Of which I am completely grateful for and give praise to Him for allowing me to do all that I did yesterday and not suffer in excruciating pain for doing it today!!

Hope you found some humor, as well as how one person can make a difference with not only another person, but with all creation!!

~God Bless~

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association-RSD Coach™

I am raising funds for research and development of a possible cure to end the life shattering pain one goes through with this syndrome. If you were living with this extremely painful syndrome, wouldn't you want someone to raise funds to help you not hurt every second of every minute of every hour of every day?? Of course you would! So won't you please give to help someone else can feel better!

read more | digg story


See my FirstGiving Widget on SideBar for quick Donating or Click the Title of this Post!
Thank You & God Bless! We ALL appreciate your contribution in helping us FEEL better!!