Touched by an Angel

Caring Canine Cora

Cora had a full day today at Mayo Hospital Speciality Building. So many friends it was hard to decide which direction to take, so I let her decide. But one by one she took on the entire room of our friends waiting for treatment with a tail that never stopped wagging and eyes and ears waiting for the next person to happily call her to their side. We celebrated a "bell ringing" today to mark the last day of treatment for a special friend. At the check in desk a small piece of paper was wrapped around 2 dog biscuits with Cora's name from an admirer. We met again with an ex military young man that dubbed Cora as a "morale booster". Visiting with our "special hat Lady" certainly boosted both her and our spirits as she prompted Cora into a "bottoms up"! We had 2 special requests today as we were ready to leave. One of our friends was now an inpatient and was missing his dog at home. Could we wait until after his treatment and spend a few minutes with him, "Certainly, we can"! Cora walked over to his wheelchair and sat beside him. Petting her, he began to tell me that his dog Scooter was the same color as Cora. He thanked us and we began to leave, but were stopped by another staff member asking for a few more minutes of Cora's time with a patient. So many encounters, so many stories, all the same outcome. Touched by an angel, "a therapy dog"! God made some of his angels with paws instead of wings!

Cora outside of Mayo Hospital

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Team Work!

Cora and I had a busy 2 days at Mayo this week. It's always brings a smile to my face when I see the positive reception that is given to us by the patients and their families. Today brought not only that big smile, but also, filled my heart with pride. A gentleman that was waiting for his radiation treatment had several questions about therapy dogs and how they functioned in the medical setting. After several minutes of telling him about the training involved and how we volunteer our time with the dogs, he looked down at Cora who was stretched out across his feet and said, "You are heroes, to be sharing in our moment of weakness"! Wow, I never would have imagined anyone calling us a hero. Looking up the true definition, it states, "a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act". Strange thing is that I look at these patients and draw strength from them. They stare cancer in the face, ...

New Horizons

Cora really never stops spreading that "magic" that comes when a person needs that little bit of special healing. We've been busy for the past few months settling in our new home in Florida. While in New Jersey visiting with Pop Pop, we met a wonderful young man that didn't allow his disability to interfere with him getting a hand and even a foot on Cora. The interaction between the two of them was priceless. It reminded me that we have to find our "spot" here in Florida to continue "heeling to heal" asap! We'll let you know soon.

Puzzle

Today when Cora and I arrived at Mayo, I was struck with the similarities between staff and patients. In the radiation waiting area we met with a woman sitting patiently trying to put a puzzle together. With one hand on Cora, she studied the small puzzle pieces to see if they fit the pattern. After a bit, we walked down the hall, where we met with our friends in Radiation Dosimetry. Wikipedia describes it as follows: "Radiation dosimetry is the measurement and calculation of the absorbed dose in matter and tissue resulting from the exposure to indirect and direct ionizing radiation ." Simply said, they put together a sort of puzzle at their computers for the patients radiation treatments. Both the patient and staff focus intently on small pattern pieces, retracing their moves until the pieces fit. When the puzzle is complete there is a feeling of hope and accomplishment! Cora sits patiently outside of Mayo Clinic Hospital today.

Cora's Magic

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