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.
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