I Love Lucy.
And She Loves Me. –by Anna Cooke
Lymphoma is one of the most com- mon types of cancer in dogs. While the survival rate with many of the cur- rent treatments is extremely low, about zero to two percent, the cure rate for dogs who have received a bone marrow transplant is at least 30 percent. That is according to Dr. Steven Suter, assistant professor of oncology at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. “We have seen from human medicine that peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, in conjunction with chemotherapy, has raised human survival rates considerably,” said Dr. Suter. 13-year-old Jaime Waryga and her
new puppy Lucy, a PON,were spectators at the Florida Classic Clusters All Breed Dog Show in Brooksville when we first met them in 2007. Jaime was being raised by her grandparents, Dorisann and Edward Waryga. The Warygas discovered their granddaughter’s patience with dogs as they watched her train and work with Barkley, a Jack Russell Terrier. Dorisann thought that perhaps getting Jaime inter- ested
BluePearl Veterinary Partners). “Whenever there is a maybe in
something, I always try to think of the positive maybe,” said Jaime. “I just knew Lucy would be alright.” Of course, the Warygas had fallen in
Photo taken April, 2011 by Anna Cooke. in showing dogs would help
encourage responsibility while rewarding sportsmanship and hard work. But after the death of their beloved
Lhasa Apso, Chopstix, Edward was reluc- tant to bring another dog into the house- hold, especially with the challenges of raising a young granddaughter. Dorisann believed otherwise and silently went about doing some research. She scoured breed-specific dog magazines and found the one dog she knew Edward, of Polish descent, could not say no to: the Polish Lowland Sheepdog, better known by its native name, Polski Owczarek Nizinny, or PON. According to the American Kennel
Club,the PON descended from the coat- ed working dogs developed in Central Asia, including the Tibetan Terrier and Lhasa
Apso.The PON has been known in Poland since before the 16th century, where they were used for herding and guarding flocks.
62 THE NEW BARKER Intelligent, precocious and adorably
cute, what was not to love about Lucy, the ultimate shaggy dog? And to sweeten the deal, it turned out that Lucy was from Gdansk, Poland, Edward’s hometown. And so it was that shortly after
Brooksville’s Florida Classic Clusters, where we were first introduced to the Warygas, Jaime participated in her first dog show—the 2007 Palm Beach Dog Fanciers Show—with a PON named Lucy. Lucy had just turned one, and Jaime, at age 14, participated as a junior handler and the youngest member of the PON Fanciers Club. More important than being a cham- pion at such a young age, Lucy was Jaime’s constant companion. As the two of them were playing one afternoon, Jaime noticed red spots on Lucy, and felt a lump.Tests confirmed their worst fears: Lymphoma. Chemotherapy was immedi- ately scheduled to take place at Florida Veterinary Specialists in Tampa (now
Jaime and her dog, Lucy.
love with Lucy,and they determined they would do whatever it took to ensure her good health. Not only was Lucy part of the family, but she had truly helped their granddaughter during a difficult time of her youth. Indeed, a child who at one time was at risk of becoming withdrawn, was now a thoughtful and confident young woman. “My career goal is to become a psychiatrist in the military,” Jaime told us. She also has a wonderful sense of humor. “When I come home from school, I yell,‘Lucy, I'm home!’ like Ricky did in I Love Lucy. I would love to have another PON, and name him Ricky,” smiled Jaime as she cuddled with Lucy.
“I believe God put animals on earth
to love us, to give us comfort and to be a friend to us when others cannot or will
not.Lucy convinced me of this.God gave us dogs as blessings or gifts, and we should be forever thankful for them,” said Dorisann. The Warygas found out about a new
bone marrow transplant (BMT) proce- dure being offered by the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, specifically for dogs suffering from lymphoma. In addition to the high cost of the treatment, driving between Central Florida and Raleigh, North Carolina (a 12 hour trip each way) took a physical and emotional toll on the fam- ily. But they were determined to see Lucy through this and have her healthy once again. The procedure uses leukaphoresis
machines, donated by the Mayo Clinic, that are designed to harvest healthy stem cells from the peripheral blood of the patient.
Continuedg
www.TheNewBarker.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124