Helping students and staff at the Melican Middle School where her mom is the principal and visiting veterans at the Soldiers Home made for a busy week for Coco. She exemplifies the importance of working as we age and deal with physical challenges of our own. Good stuff.
Here’s Coco…
I went to work with Mom at her school on Friday. I spent three hours working with Mom, and then I rested in the car for a couple of hours. She came out to get me later in the day, and I worked for two more hours.
I started the day visiting with two of the custodians. Uncle Tom and Uncle Dave, as Mom calls them because they are so fond of me, spent time talking with Mom and me. They were so happy to see me. I was happy to see them, too. Uncle Dave always says, Give me some of that, as he leans down next to me – he wants a kiss from me before he can start his day. I, of course, am happy to oblige. Next, I lay in the hallway while Mom collected attendance sheets. Many students petted me and talked with me as they delivered the morning attendance to Mom. Later, a teacher came to talk with Mom about her father-in-law passing away. She loves dogs, and Mom said I made her feel better. Another teacher was talking with Mom about her yellow lab’s recent diagnosis of lymphoma. Again, Mom said I made her feel better. This is a new diagnosis with lots of unknowns ahead for the family.
Mom and I met with some students in her office. One student, who used to meet with me two or three times a week last year, was so happy to see me. He snuggled with me and talked with Mom. He came down again during his lunchtime to sit with Mom and me, and to show Mom pictures of his dogs. I have missed him and I could tell he has missed me. He suffers from many medical conditions and he and I have a strong bond.
I also spent time in the guidance area snuggling with students who were taking breaks from the stresses of their school day. I know one of the students very well, but the others were new to me. They seemed to enjoy spending time with me – I definitely enjoyed all the attention I received. Mom explained to me that one of them is going through a really difficult time in her life so it was nice to see her smiling and happy. I liked picking up crumbs from the floor, too – some students eat their lunch in that area.
Several teachers stopped by to see me on Friday. It seems like some of them feel sorry for me because of my missing leg, but Mom assures them that I am happy and doing what I love.
On Saturday, Mom and I visited the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke. I visited with many residents, staff members, and family members. Often people do not notice that I am missing a leg – they only notice that I am riding in a wagon. When I am in my wagon, I am actually the perfect height for people in wheel chairs – they can wheel right up next to me to pet me. Mom and I visited with a woman that we used to see every time we went there. We had not seen her in several months so we were glad to see that she was in her room this time. She and Mom were talking about me losing my leg. She assumed it was for bone cancer, which of course, it was. Mom explained that I am also losing my hearing and I do not see as well as I used to, either. The woman responded, “Sounds a lot like me…” She and Mom got a good chuckle out of that.
Another woman was celebrating her 92nd birthday with her family. The entire party came out of the room where the celebration was into the hallway to see me! Many young children and adults came out – there must have been fifteen or more people. One woman was talking about her aging lab. She got a tear in her eye when she looked into my eyes, explaining to Mom that her dog, Jake, looks a lot like me and she knows he is slowing down. The “birthday girl” seemed to enjoy her time with me, but not as much as the young children who were eager to pet me and tell Mom about their dogs.
My wagon has made me much more mobile – it is wonderful to be able to visit so many people again! I feel very fortunate that Mom is keeping me working even as I am aging. I know it is important for Mom, too. Mom says that I can keep working as long as I still enjoy the work. At this point, I definitely do! ~Coco