A ‘Potato’ helps us celebrate a special birthday
Our new family member is the epitome of resilience
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Three months ago, my husband, Randy, and I adopted Ellie, a mama dog who had been at the rescue for four months. She arrived with six puppies, tending to another litter after hers were adopted.
“Tending” might be a stretch. When we saw Ellie, her interim miniature charges were pestering her in puppy fashion. However, by staying isolated with them in a heated shed, she didn’t have to interact with humans any more than necessary. She looked defeated, shut down in general. My vivid imagination has pondered her past, and it’s heartbreaking.
Ellie has slowly figured out that the routine here is safe. Randy and I have encouraged her in her own time frame, appreciating the most minute indications of progress.
We’ve been here before.
One surprise, two surprises: A baby and SMA
We moved with our two children, Matthew and Katie, to the North Carolina mountains as the calendar flipped to 1996. Our new rural life graced us with surprises almost as soon as we pulled into the driveway: a massive blizzard, flying squirrels in the house, furry critters’ nests in the spring house, and a skunk encounter. The welcome mat kept on welcoming.
Soon, we gave ourselves a personal whopper of a surprise. We were going to have a baby!
Jeffrey surprised us on May 18, 1997, two weeks ahead of schedule. He was beautiful, content, and so quiet, I had to remain on alert to hear him if he wasn’t right in front of me.
On July 14, our perfect baby was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a progressive motor neuron disease. According to the neurologist’s initial assessment, Jeffrey had type 1, the deadliest form, and a “severe case” at that. He likely wouldn’t make it to kindergarten.
There was no treatment and certainly no cure back then. In other words, if we relished any glimmer of hope, we’d have to conjure it up on our own. Thinking outside the box (natural supplements, chiropractic adjustments, fervent prayers), we were giddy with hope when we detected increased arm and leg movement and a noticeably louder cry. We celebrated every speck of change, confident that we were moving in the right direction.
Alas, per its reputation, SMA’s deadly havoc quickly picked up steam until our assignment ended. Jeffrey was just 5 months old.
As his 29th birthday approaches, SMA remains the leading genetic killer of children under 2. We celebrate his birthday, but also the incredible development of treatment options. At least some newborns diagnosed and treated early manifest no symptoms — a mind-boggling revelation and cause for rejoicing!
‘Poppy Potato’ joins our family
Katie, who lives with her husband, Paul, in Charleston, sent us the information about Ellie. Two months after Ellie joined our family, Katie sent a picture of Potato, found with her two puppies in a drug/breeding operation and relocated to the same wonderfully dedicated rescue that had saved Ellie. Potato’s resemblance to our last Staffy, Honey, was uncanny, and I promptly expressed our interest. Katie and Paul made arrangements to visit Potato and were instantly smitten with the pooch that did, indeed, resemble a potato.
Left: Honey, pictured in 2016, was one of the Baldwins’ favorite dogs. Right: Poppy Potato has been a natural fit from the beginning. (Courtesy of Helen Baldwin)
On May 1, we met Katie, Paul, and Potato at a halfway point. Sweet Potato fell asleep on my arm on the ride home and never looked back. She checked out the house upon arrival, in disbelief at her extra good fortune when she spied Ellie, glued to the couch. Stunned, Ellie may have wondered if she was being replaced.
As we’d hoped, “Poppy Potato” has managed to crack Ellie’s shell as only she could. Despite her previous appalling living conditions, Poppy exudes pure joy, gratitude, appreciation, and — amazingly — trust. She plays hard and snuggles harder. She’s smart, fearless, and adores her sister enough to push her beyond her comfort zone however she can.
Poppy is the epitome of resilience, a trait SMA families develop out of necessity. The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, inspired by the founders’ daughter, who had SMA, chose “Never Give Up” as its mantra. So has Poppy.
We’ll celebrate Jeffrey’s 29th birthday this month with our grandson’s baseball game, lots of laughs, and reminders from Poppy to exhibit joy, gratitude, and appreciation in abundance, in all ways.
And we will.
Note: SMA News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of SMA News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to spinal muscular atrophy.
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