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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 2016)
Wednesday, January 6, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 23 Cancer survivor rescues two cats said Joseph. “And my roots are in Sisters. I had been com- ing to Sisters since I was a teenager to go fly-fishing in the late ’60s. “A friend of mine from Sisters that I had known from the early 1970s offered to rent this place to me and Baby last February.” Joseph’s roots in Sisters go way back to 1973. He lived in Sisters until 1981 when he took a job in Alaska as a bush pilot. “My whole life was flying; it’s a passion of mine,” Joseph said. Then in early April of last year Joseph started feeling ill, with pain in his back and abdomen. “I ended up in St. Charles diagnosed with lymphoma cancer, Stage 1. I had sur- gery immediately,” Joseph told The Nugget. “They went through my back and took out as much of the cancer as they could. But what had happened was very rare. Normally that kind of cancer affects your lymph nodes, but mine ended up wrapped around my spi- nal cord on the number-17 vertebrae and pinched off my spine. I was at St. Charles over a month in rehab. My landlord, Rob Cravens, and By Jodi Schneider McNamee Correspondent Last April, when retired airline captain Gary Joseph of Sisters was told he might never walk again follow- ing surgery to remove lym- phoma cancer, he defied the odds. But when Joseph’s cat Baby recently passed away from cancer, his resistance crumpled. “Baby passed away five weeks ago, and it was the most devastating thing that happened to me. We were partners; she was always there for me. And for most of her life we lived alone together on my 42-foot sailboat in the San Juan Islands after I retired from the airlines,” Joseph explained. “She meant every- thing to me.” For many people like Joseph, a pet is not “just a dog” or “just a cat.” Pets are beloved family members and, when they die, there is a sense of significant — even trau- matic — loss. “I finally sold the sailboat because I was getting older, and it was just me and Baby and I figured it’s time to head back to my roots, because I didn’t want anything to hap- pen to me out on the boat,” his family took care of Baby. “The doctors said I’d prob- ably never walk, but I said, ‘Yes I will.’ When I finally got home, St. Charles home health took over and gave me therapy for three months. I am now using a walker and get- ting stronger all the time.” About a month after Baby passed away, he decided he was ready to adopt a cat from a rescue facility. “I missed having a cat so much that when I saw an ad in The Nugget about CRAFT, Cat Rescue Adoption & Foster Team, although I was skeptical, I had my neighbor take me over to CRAFT in Bend to check it out. I walked in with my walker and found that I really liked one of the cats they had named Sadie. And when I found out she had past issues, possibly abuse, I didn’t care. I have all the time and patience in the world for her. She is extremely shy and hides most of the time.” Joseph remembered see- ing another cat that CRAFT had up for adoption during his visit named Bosko. Bosko was outgoing and affection- ate and already knew the shy Sadie. Joseph had the idea of bringing the two back together, which might help photo by Jodie Schneider mcnAmee gary Joseph at home with Bosko. Sadie’s shyness at the same time. “I went back over to CRAFT and adopted Bosko, a very sweet outgoing cat that had been at CRAFT for over a year,” said Joseph. “Bosko adapted to my home immedi- ately. He follows me around and is helping Sadie come out of her shell. We are all helping each other. Sadie comes out at night and they both play. He is a great companion for both of us.” Cats are not just great company, low-maintenance, and independent; they are also very good for you. Looking after a pet can bring structure to a person’s day; reduce feel- ings of isolation and loneli- ness and act as a link to other people. Joseph’s passion for flying hasn’t burned out yet; he still flies — but a little closer to the ground. “I own close to a dozen RC planes, gliders, and helicop- ters and am a member of High Desert RC,” Joseph said. Serving h e Sisters, Camp Sherman and Black Butte Ranch Areas Ponderosa Properties R E A L T O R S 541-549-2002 A N D 1- 800-650-6766 LLC P R O P E R T Y M A N A G E M E N T www. P onderosa P roperties.com 221 S. Ash St., Sisters The Locals’ Choice fr Real Estate Sales Kevin R. Dyer 541-480-7552 Rad Dyer 541-480-8853 Carol Davis 541-410-1556 Catherine Black 541-588-9219 Ali Mayea 541-480-9658 Shane Lundgren 541-588-9226 Debbie Dyer 541-480-1650 Carrie Koepke 541-419-1575 CRS, GRI, Principal Broker ABR, CCIM, CRB, CRS, GRI, Principal Broker ABR, GRI, Broker CRS, Broker Broker, GRI, Green Broker GRI, Broker Broker
