Five (5) days
later, Thuki and Zhimi were still 5 oz. Karen Dumke,
Nonsuch Afghans,
remained attentive offering expertise, but after
jumping through
hoops to keep the boys warm and hydrated, the
2 limp babies
were dying. Down 10 lbs., my sad reality sank in. At
9:30 pm that
Saturday night (04-22-06), reproduction specialist,
Jo Randall, touched
base. For reasons she couldn’t explain,
something drew
her to the clinic that night where she spotted my
file on the counter.
After a bleak conversation, she remained diligent
and called the
local emergency clinic.
Sidebar:
Decades back, Jo and husband Jay Randall ran that same
clinic. It was
1st emergency facility in Lake County. They made a
major contribution
to the Parvovirus Campaign I spearheaded in 1980,
deemed to be
the “most major contribution of the decade.”
Within an hour
of crazed driving, different meds, IV drips, and a liter
bag of solution
were frantically attached to a makeshift IV pole.
Forty-eight (48)
hours later, now 7 days old, and 2 liters of fluid in them,
Thuki and Zhimi
were up to a whopping 6 oz. (+1). Still too weak to
nurse, hopeful
optimism crept in.
Zhimi and Thuki
are miracles, and even in their youth, each overcame
adversity. My
sincere thanks to Karen and Kalen Dumke, Dr. Jo Randall,
and my great
friends Gary Guth and Stephen Sweet. |