Telling Her Story

Luna and I visited one of the 4-H dog clubs to give a brief presentation on our experience with physical therapy.  This is the same club that met Luna two days before the accident so they really had no idea what we had been through.

Six months ago at the Somerset County 4-H Fair.  We love 4-H!

I had spent a couple of hours putting together (in my opinion) a very nice Power Point presentation that included photos, videos, and details about the exercises.  I was very proud of my work and really looking forward to sharing Luna's progress through my multimedia presentation.  I even arrived a half hour early to set up my computer and projector.  Unfortunately, my computer was having some sort of malfunction and would not boot up.  There would be no pictures, no video, and no awesome slides that I had painstakingly put together.  *Sigh*  I pointed out to the club members that a good presenter can roll with the punches, even when technology turns on you.  Hopefully, they'll remember my experience when they give their county public presentations later this year.

Despite our technical difficulties, Luna and I did a pretty decent job sharing our experience.  I retold the story of the accident making sure I avoided saying anything that might upset the kids or myself.  I have shared this story many times and I still get worked up every time so I have to tell it just right to avoid getting upset.  I spent most of the presentation talking about the different physical therapy exercises Luna has experienced.  The kids really enjoyed hearing about her work on the underwater treadmill and the balance balls.  Luna demonstrated a few stretches and balancing workouts. 

I had forgotten that one of the leaders saw Luna one week after her accident.  She shared with the kids the severity of what Luna had been through and how hard Mike and I have worked to get her back to normal.  "When I saw her she could only lie on her mattress.  They had to flip her to avoid bedsores.  There aren't too many people who would take on so much."  Hearing her say that reminded me of how lucky we were to have so many people willing to support us through such a difficult time.  There's no way I could have done all that on my own.

Now that my computer has recovered from its tantrum, I will share Luna's story with other 4-H dog clubs.  At least all my hard work won't be wasted. :-)