4 years ago I got shot. - Page 1

August 13.
This is an emotional moment for me. 
I got born again. No this is not religious awakening ,...even so it could have been. 4 years ago about exactly at this moment I got shot and almost mortally wounded in a gun accident . I have  dropped an antique handgun and when it hit the ground it fired and  it hit me in the chest . Bullet went through my lung about 1 -2 inches from my heart ricochet from the shoulder blade forward broke and shattered my collar bone and then ping pong back and exited about 1/2 an inch from my spine in my neck, nicked back of my head and embedded itself into the sealing. I was about as close to be dead as you can be without being dead.  I got out of it helicopter ride and excitement in a St Joseph's hospital where I got major bleeding and almost died there. 
So why am I bringing this here.
 There is a lot of bickering and negativity often here on PDB. I believe that it is because we are all passionate people about dogs and dog topics. Recently I got a great support ,...100% support here when I was ( and still am ) target of a smear campaign and I realized what a bunch of great people you actually are.  Well I would like to tell you that what happened to me  made me a better person. I appreciate life much more and do not hate some people as I used to. I am trying to be more gentle, understanding and helpful to others.  
I would like you to think about your actions and picture how fragile the life is. Call your mother, hug your dog, and  your spouse or such  and your children (not necessarily in that order).  I sure have today.
Take care of yourself and others  and be good to each other.
Prager Hans

thanks for sharing Prager

 Today is my dog Buko's birthday as well. He is 7, and is now the house dog, and the bed dog. He has been hogging the bed all day. 

I am glad that you made it, and Buko is happy to share his birthday with you. Sorry nutty the nutcake is still hounding you.

 Today is my dog Buko's birthday as well. He is 7, and is now the house dog, and the bed dog. He has been hogging the bed all day. 

I am glad that you made it, and Buko is happy to share his birthday with you. Sorry nutty the nutcake is still hounding you.

Prager,

Even though I don't post much, I do try and find the meaningful information on this board. Although it is tough sometimes having to wade through the unbelievable childish, selfish, greedy, ridiculous posts that clutter up the place.

I appreciate your sharing this story as well as your knowledge and am glad you are still with us.

Dmedia

Prager:

I am glad you survived such a horrible accident.  What a way to be reminded that  life is so precious and to concentrate on the good things. 

Today is also a day of reflection for me.  On this date in 1995 I lost my best friend to cancer.  She was 31 years old and left behind a 3 year old and 1 year old.  She was a free spirit and truly my best friend since I was 3 years old.  She battled with courage for 15 months, fighting to spend just one more day with her babies.  The day I lost her changed my life and made me a much less selfish person.  I will never have a friend like her again, but I do cherish the ones I still have.  I read these threads and shake my head most of the time.  Makes me wonder if these posters truly ever enjoyed a true friendship as one must comprise and show respect.

There are a few posters I still enjoy learning from and Prager you are one of them.  I have my first working like out of Andy maly Vah, so would love to learn more about her lines and I know you have so much knowledge to share.

Thank you again for the reminder that life is too short waste it.

Cheryl

You never know when someone you love will be taken from you. Six years ago, I watched my father die. His once brilliant mind slowly wasted away due to dementia. I count it a blessing that he still knew the family and close friends right up until the end, though he was totally bedridden the last 4 months due to the home's negligence. (They allowed him to develop a pressure sore that went right down to the bone!!)

In January of that same year, my husband suffered a stroke, then was diagnosed with bladder cancer. I had to help dress him and bathe him and change his soiled clothing when he had an accident. He passed away 7 months later, in November. I nursed him at home until he could no longer walk.

The following year, it was my mother's turn. She suffered a stroke, and passed away a month later, at the age of 92.

In August of that year, my 14 1/2 year old GSD passed away in her sleep.


The months that followed all these losses were the darkest I've ever been through. SO many supposed 'friends' turned their backs on me, and dropped out of sight. Even my step-sons stopped talking to me, as they were upset over their father's will. I had to quit my job as a visiting nurse, as I could no longer stand the stress, without my husband to support me at the end of a long day.

Then, my hearing, which has never been very good, began to deteriorate even further. For the last two years, I doubt I would have been able to hold any job that required making phone calls, or a lot of communication with people. However, I was now deaf enough to qualify for a cochlear implant.

I had the surgery done in November, and at the last testing scored 100% on the listening test. The audiologist then tried a harder test, and I scored 94% on that one. Although my hearing is far from being normal, the surgery has given me a new lease on life. I have now purchased a boarding and grooming kennel. I am on the phone a great deal talking to clients and taking information from them (this would have been impossible before the implant) and am managing very well. I have a whole new life!

What have I learned from all this?

Don't sweat the small stuff. Tell people you love them: they may not be here tomorrow. Cherish your husband/wife and imagine how your life would be different without them. It will help you get through those times when you want to strangle them for something they've done to REALLY pissed you off. Hug your kids, hug your dogs. Believe in tomorrow, and that the sun is going to break through. Use the good china more often: who cares if it's in perfect condition when you die? The kids will probably not want it anyway!

And, people will rarely remember what you say to them, but they will ALWAYS remember how you made them feel.
Remember that before you press 'post' on your messages.



For Roger – November 17, 2008



I see the look of love in your eyes,
Oh, how that gaze could mesmerize,
It’s all gone now, I remind myself,
Your ashes sit in a jar on my shelf,

Only memories remain to warm my heart
The past is gone, I must make a new start,
Yet I miss you so, in the lonely night,
When the sad tears come to blur my sight.

I’ve let you go, you spirit flies free,
And that’s the way it’s meant to be,
My heartache’s less a little each day,
Though it never completely goes away,

Oh, how I miss your smiling face,
I pray for God to give me grace,
To open my heart to love again,
To risk the joy, the love….and pain.

Got cut off there....

Rest in peace, sweetheart. Tomorrow would have been our 20th wedding anniversary. I won't forget: I'll lift a glass of Glayva (your favourite liquer) in your memory!

Words of Wisdom,  Brother Hans, Words of Wisdom...

SteveO