 Daily, I see people suffering, mentally, emotionally,
economically, and physically. But, as someone in the healing arts,
something I do as a profession, that comes with the territory.When my father, Raymond Alford Baker, died in the VA hospital in Houston Texas, around 1986, 22 years ago, I decided to dedicate myself to trying to ease suffering, and to help people. I saw such heartless, incompetent medical care then (like machines pumping Staph aureus gold colored pus material back into them , instead of draining it off as it was supposed to do) that I decided again to head toward healthcare. I said again, because I was pre-med in college. My grandfather was a Veterinarian, my uncle was an MD, my cousin is an MD, and my great grandfather was an MD. It was always assumed I too would graduate from medical school and go into medicine. I didn't do that, but graduated with my Bachelor of Science in 1975 from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches Texas. After my experience with my dad, I wanted to go into a profession where I could have more of a hands on, personal touch, not rush people through like cattle and hand them a paper giving them access to drugs to just cover up the symptoms. So, I went to Chiropractic school, getting my license in 1989. I promised then, that I would never give a patient less good care than I would my own family, and I have kept my promise. As I said, my grandfather was a Vet. He treated animals instead of people, and did so back during the Great Depression. I love animals, but I could never be a Vet, because I just could not put an animal down / euthanize them. Well, today, I lost one of my best friends in the world. He was my cat Dumplin. He was so beautiful that upon first seeing him, people thought he was a female. He was a Turkish Angora, and had the most beautiful greenish golden eyes, and long, white as snow coat, a true creature that to me, looked like an angel without wings. My wife noticed a lump in his throat about five and a half months ago. After seeing some Vets, we took Dumplin to the Small Animal Clinic at Texas A & M, a world famous facility for treating small animals. There, he was seen by one of the world authorities on cats, Dr. John August, DVM, originally from England. The diagnosis was that Dumplin was FeLV positive, plus had lymphoblastic lymphosarcoma, an opportunistic cancer that can happen when the immune system is compromised. After my wife left there with Dumplin, we continued care with a Vet in Tyler, someone I respect greatly, Dr. Michael Maris , DVM. I cannot say enough good things about this wonderful doctor and caring human being. If you are a cat or dog lover (or other pet owner) and want the best pet care for your loved animal, Dr. Maris is the man. He has the Shelley Drive Animal Clinic. Maris Michael K Dvm at 118 Shelley Dr, Tyler, TX 75701. 903-561-7373 Despite all we could do, and despite the excellent care of Dr. Maris, our baby, our nine year old white friend, and pet, Dumplin, passed on today as I write this, Saturday, 27th of December, 2008 at 1:48 pm. Dumplin passed in the arms of the humans he loved, and who loved him. He died peacefully, led to the light by my mother-in-law, who has done this with people, but never with an animal. I was very pleased that she intervened, because , in this time of great sadness and loss, she provided us closure as to the fact that Dumplin moved on to a better place. This was the first time I had ever actually been at the bedside, literally, of a loved one who died. For one reason or the other, I was never actually there to see my loved ones on to the other side. The event was the most emotional I ever went through in my life. It is extremely hard to sit there and see someone (we thought of our Dumplin in human terms, as if he were our child) you love with all your heart pass . It reinforced my practice principle that I always treat patients problems as serious, unless I see evidence that it is not, or can get diagnostic testing that shows it is not, because everyone is someone's child, or brother, sister, mother, daughter, grandmother, grandfather, spouse, friend, etc.. But, to me, animals are special. They love us unconditionally. Even when I felt at my lowest, Dumplin would come, nuzzle me, and let me know he thought I was the greatest thing in the world. I was his hero, but little did he know, he was my hero. He faced that horrors of cancer and FeLV, and all the treatments, the chemotherapy, the shots, the feeding tube, with class, with honor, with courage, with humility... I can never measure up to the standard he set, but I will try my best to live life with more compassion, more humor, more love, and more courage, and if I can manage that, it will be a testament not to me, but to Dumplin. Since the wound is fresh in our souls, the loss still aches in our bones, this is tough to write, so why do it you may ask. Dumplin was the patriarch of our other cats. He set the example, and when the other boy cats would fight, Dumplin would rush in as the peacemaker. We need more understanding, more love, more peacemaking in the world. We need to treat EACH other, each other human, and each animal, with love, caring, and empathy. There is a song from my generation that says, "What the World, Needs Now is Love, Sweet Love", and by that, I think they meant "agape" or love for our fellow creatures. The day before Christmas, a guy in California dressed up like Santa, went to the house of his ex-in laws, and began killing folks, starting with shooting the eight year old girl who answered the door, in the face. Today, I found out late in the day after Dumplin passed, that Israel had bombed Gaza and 230 reported dead. Not to pontificate here, but this world needs more caring. You may have noticed on my videos on websites, I stress that daily, we are trying to put the CARE back into healthcare. That isn't a slogan or an empty saying, but the way I am trying to live my life. At this point, there is no accounting for the amount of time my wife and I spent hand feeding Dumplin during his last weeks. Each feeding took more than an hour, and we tried to do three a day, which included giving water through his feeding tube, and food that we mixed up (the AD Diet). We only have one planet, and we are all just temporary creatures, who are living in a delicate balance. Sure, people are losing their jobs, losing their homes, losing their businesses. But, is that solved by being meaner to each other, or to our fellow animals ? No. I recall when the Aussie Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter" died. I was devastated, not because I knew him personally, which I didn't, but because he seemed to be someone advocating decent treatment of the animals, and each other. Who knows whether there is a thing called Karma or not. To me, being kind and helping is a reward in and of itself. Do you really need more than that? So, as my wife and I move forward with just the three inside cats, and one outside cat now, we are trying to take care of all our feline friends the best we know how. They miss their housemate Dumplin. He was the "OG" since he was already there when they were born. Dumplin Baker was nine years old. That's around 63 in human terms. But, he was more than a cat. He was my alarm clock, since he woke me up every morning. He greeted me at the window when I came home from work. He slept by me and my wife in the bed, and most of all, no matter how bad things were in my life, like when my stepfather died in November 2007, he tried to comfort me to let me know things will be all right. Dumplin is in Heaven now, he is able to fly and play, and he has friends of pets we have lost in the past, and they greeted him when he passed over. Yes, our hearts are broken. Our other cats are pining for him. We will always miss Dumplin. But, we must go on, and Dumplin will not have lived and died in vane, because, I will carry his spirit of caring and courage forward, and all the memories of him live forever in my heart. God Bless You Dumplin. Thank you for making my and my wife's lives happier and better for nine years. http://www.drjohnbaker.com/dumplin.htm Dumplin Baker, September 1999 - December 27, 2008. Play in Heaven and Wait for me. ~john Dr. John Raymond Baker,DC |