I read an interesting article today about a lady who had her feet and hands amputated due to a surgery on her neck to allow her some relief from migraine headaches. She ended up with quadruple amputations! Twelve days after the procedure, Mrs. Adkins was airlifted to Dallas and put into a medically induced coma after she suffered sepsis due to strep on her incision. She was in a coma for 14 days before waking up and seeing that her hands and feet had turned black.
She said this was due to the excessive use of suppressors to keep the blood pumping to her organs, which ultimately pulled the blood away from her limbs. “Unfortunately, there was no blood flow back to the limbs once I woke up,” she said. “So, we had to amputate.” Amazingly she weathered the storm without feeling too sorry for herself and spiraling into the depths of a sea of depression. The question of how she was able to keep her spirits up begs to be answered.
Adkins’ faith in God ultimately helped pull her out of the depression, she said. Adding that she knew that if she gave up, she’d also be giving up on her children. “And they’re everything to me,” she said of her 21-year-old twins. She said it was her faith in God, the support of her family and children, and a little two-year-old Chiweenie pup named Mazi that has served as an emotional support dog for Adkins, The two-year-old pup has served as an emotional support animal for Adkins, who knew when she began looking that she wanted a small dog to help her cope.
Calm and cool, Mazi now accompanies Adkins “everywhere,” and is always in tune with her owner’s emotions.
“It’s like she knows when I’m having a bad day,” she said. “She’ll just come get in my lap and just love on me.” When Adkins cries, “[Mazi] gets right up nose to nose with me and puts a leg on each side and just hugs me,” she continued.
While Adkins is still maneuvering through her life as a quadruple amputee, she hopes to raise enough money to afford i-Limb Quantum bionic hands, which give users the ability to move all five fingers. For anyone interested, donations can be made through GoFundMe at gofundme.com/f/medical-necessities-and-hands. Wow, she is quite the courageous lady. My aches and pains are minor compared to hers and it is inspirational to see her forge forward with her life.
I bought a black lab puppy a few months ago and he reminds me of Mazi in the loving department. He is so energetic I named him “Tornado” because the first night that I took delivery of him he tore through my house like one. Subsequently, I moved him to a kennel and changed his name to Stormy due to his calming down some. I mention this because when I walk out to his kennel, he is so excited that he is running and jumping and excitedly anticipating that soon he will be running like the wind through my backyard, jumping in my pond, and otherwise frolicking all over our farm.
I tell him to sit as I open the gate which requires tremendous patience on his part because he literally cannot wait to get out of that pen, but he obediently acquiesces to my command. Oddly enough, when I summon him to come out of the pen, rather than taking off like a speeding bullet, he makes a beeline to me and sits down insisting that I pet him and rub his big head. Finally, when I tire of it, I send him off and he runs in big circles with what can only be described as a huge smile on his face.
I understand how this lady has become so attached to her little dog. Call me crazy but I believe these animals are sent by God to help distract us from the bad things we face in this world. Spending just an hour or so a day with mine puts me in a good mood and darned if I don’t anticipate his training and play sessions as much as Stormy does.
I thank God for him and urge you to consider getting some sort of pet. I know one grouchy old friend of mine who gripes, complains, and whines incessantly about his aches and pains. He has a cat that he loves and treats like a human. Unfortunately, even the cat has not stopped his constant complaining (perhaps that is because it is a cat and not a dog) but this cat does seem to give him a great deal of companionship.
If you are depressed and perhaps have lost a loved one, got a bad report from a doctor, are overwhelmed by this world so full of trouble, had a spouse depart for another or whatever, try getting a dog or a pet of some kind. My dog never stops wagging his tail even when I’m scolding him for being stubborn. He loves me and I can always cheer myself up by spending time with him. That is how our relationship with God should be. He loves us and we love Him – no matter what! Spend some time with God today – Just the two of you having fun and loving each other.
The God who created the universe, the most powerful being ever, loves you personally. Try to wrap your mind around that. He loves you — not just people in general, but you as a person. He cares about your life and wants to be part of it. Even if you’ve spent your whole life running from God or done things you regret, He still loves you and wants to have a relationship with you.
God’s love is unconditional and infinite — far, far beyond what even the best of people are capable of. He knows what you need and will provide it if you will just invite Him in.
1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.