Post by Susan Peabody on Aug 19, 2020 21:36:05 GMT
Recently my dog Mi was hit by a van. Mi is an Aletonian Shepard, which means he is three feet tall at the age of 10 months. Mi is short for Michael who is God’s primary guardian angel.
At first we were upset about the accident and naturally rushed to the closest emergency room for help. The next week would take on a journey we did not expect.
At the first vetinarian hospital in Fairfield, they took us in and asked for $600. We gave them all we had which was $500. They examined Mi and said his leg was crushed. They said they could not help him but would be happy to keep him overnight and send him to UC Davis the next day for only $3,000. I got upset because the money seemed more important than Mi and that made them angry and defensive.
Because we did not have the money we drove to UC Davis ourselves in a rain storm and arrived at 2:00 a.m. in the morning. A staff member met us at the door and said we could not come in because Fairfield called and said we did not have any money and that we had complained about the expense. They then relented and said they would see Mi for $1500. We did not have the money so we went home and got on the phone to secure a loan.
The next day we went to Concord and they said they would be happy to do the surgery for $6,000. The doctor was very nice and said come back the next day with whatever we could raise. We were thrilled to find somebody who had a kind heart and came back the next day with $2500.
The doctor, whose demeanor had now changed, talked to the hospital administrator who said come back the next day with another $3,000.
We went back the next day with $3,000 from a title loan, and they office manager said we needed $300. We gave them the $300. They then said to wait and two hours, and four house later they came back and said they could not do the surgery because when they sent for the records at the other two hospitals there was a note that we had gotten upset. They called it “communication problems.”
My son Karl said to them that all this was unconsciousable. The doctor said that he could not use that word. Karl pointed out that he had a right to his opinion and that there was free speech in America which is true. By now the doctor is upset and asked Karl to leave. He went to leave and the doctor said, “If you do not leave by the back door “I will call the police.”
It was at this point that Karl realized this was not about money but probably about him being half black and in Concord, and about the fact that he was confronting them. He explained to me later (I was in the car holding Mi) that even white people who like Black men do not like interfacial men, at least not at Concord at Sage Medical. And, to paraphrase the actor in a movie I saw once, “they can’t handle the truth.”
After all this Karl and I went home again and called an Indian doctor in Vallejo who heard our story and said, “Why on earth did you go out there to get help?” Karl looked at him sheepishly and started to cry. After all this he broke down and let his feelings out. Like most men he does not like to cry.
The Indian doctor agreed to do the surgery. (Then he had to cancel but he called another surgeon who, as I write this, may do the surgery on Monday.) Mi is now hobbling on three legs like the trooper he is and licking my face. He has stopped whining and is going with the flow like the rest of us.
Meanwhile, Karl called a friend of his who works for the Oakland Tribune. He came out and took a video of Mi and the blood on the back seat of the car. He wants to do a story about this. Karl then called a friend whose father is a California Senator and he agreed to sponsor a bill creating an animal bill of rights which would give pets care just like people and then presented with a bill later. Finally, before going to sleep, Karl sent in the paper work for a new foundation with the domain Mipet.net. We are now looking for money to pay for it as we are saving all our money for the surgery.
So I will have to keep you posted as to have far this goes and whether or not Mi gets his surgery. Meanwhile, I ask for your prayers that I remain strong and vigilant as my son and I fight no only for Mi but for all the other poor animals who need emergency care and do not have owners with a lot of money. I am honored that God has chosen Karl and I for this greater purpose.
At first we were upset about the accident and naturally rushed to the closest emergency room for help. The next week would take on a journey we did not expect.
At the first vetinarian hospital in Fairfield, they took us in and asked for $600. We gave them all we had which was $500. They examined Mi and said his leg was crushed. They said they could not help him but would be happy to keep him overnight and send him to UC Davis the next day for only $3,000. I got upset because the money seemed more important than Mi and that made them angry and defensive.
Because we did not have the money we drove to UC Davis ourselves in a rain storm and arrived at 2:00 a.m. in the morning. A staff member met us at the door and said we could not come in because Fairfield called and said we did not have any money and that we had complained about the expense. They then relented and said they would see Mi for $1500. We did not have the money so we went home and got on the phone to secure a loan.
The next day we went to Concord and they said they would be happy to do the surgery for $6,000. The doctor was very nice and said come back the next day with whatever we could raise. We were thrilled to find somebody who had a kind heart and came back the next day with $2500.
The doctor, whose demeanor had now changed, talked to the hospital administrator who said come back the next day with another $3,000.
We went back the next day with $3,000 from a title loan, and they office manager said we needed $300. We gave them the $300. They then said to wait and two hours, and four house later they came back and said they could not do the surgery because when they sent for the records at the other two hospitals there was a note that we had gotten upset. They called it “communication problems.”
My son Karl said to them that all this was unconsciousable. The doctor said that he could not use that word. Karl pointed out that he had a right to his opinion and that there was free speech in America which is true. By now the doctor is upset and asked Karl to leave. He went to leave and the doctor said, “If you do not leave by the back door “I will call the police.”
It was at this point that Karl realized this was not about money but probably about him being half black and in Concord, and about the fact that he was confronting them. He explained to me later (I was in the car holding Mi) that even white people who like Black men do not like interfacial men, at least not at Concord at Sage Medical. And, to paraphrase the actor in a movie I saw once, “they can’t handle the truth.”
After all this Karl and I went home again and called an Indian doctor in Vallejo who heard our story and said, “Why on earth did you go out there to get help?” Karl looked at him sheepishly and started to cry. After all this he broke down and let his feelings out. Like most men he does not like to cry.
The Indian doctor agreed to do the surgery. (Then he had to cancel but he called another surgeon who, as I write this, may do the surgery on Monday.) Mi is now hobbling on three legs like the trooper he is and licking my face. He has stopped whining and is going with the flow like the rest of us.
Meanwhile, Karl called a friend of his who works for the Oakland Tribune. He came out and took a video of Mi and the blood on the back seat of the car. He wants to do a story about this. Karl then called a friend whose father is a California Senator and he agreed to sponsor a bill creating an animal bill of rights which would give pets care just like people and then presented with a bill later. Finally, before going to sleep, Karl sent in the paper work for a new foundation with the domain Mipet.net. We are now looking for money to pay for it as we are saving all our money for the surgery.
So I will have to keep you posted as to have far this goes and whether or not Mi gets his surgery. Meanwhile, I ask for your prayers that I remain strong and vigilant as my son and I fight no only for Mi but for all the other poor animals who need emergency care and do not have owners with a lot of money. I am honored that God has chosen Karl and I for this greater purpose.