HELP IS ON THE WAY!

Monday, August 8^th, 2011

My name is Summer and today is the first day of the rest of my life.  Over 2 weeks ago, I was alone in a ditch on the side of the road after someone left me there. (Who would do something like that?)  After 2 days, a caring person called for help and I was taken to the local animal shelter.The people at the shelter were so nice and kind.  They knew I needed more help than they could provide and called a very special person who could do just that - help me.

You see… I am grossly obese, I weigh 124.2 pounds (about twice what I should weigh), and I look like a bear.  I probably weighed more ... but the truth is "it's way too much."  To further complicate things, I can’t stand up or walk, so I pull and drag myself around. I want to so badly and I keep trying, but I just can’t get up.

I knew there was not much hope or time left for me ...unless a "village of caring souls" came to my rescue.

This morning, when I woke up, I sniffed the air and I could feel that things were about to change. And then I heard it, coming from miles away … two Angels singing at the top of their lungs to Marvin Gaye’s song:
“Listen, Summer. Ain't no mountain high. Ain't no valley low. Ain't no river wide enough.  If you need me, call me. No matter where you are. No matter how far. Just call our names. We'll be there in a hurry, You don't have to worry…”

Please don’t tell the girls, but they were a little off tune <g>. The next thing I knew, I was being loaded into the back of a SUV on soft dog beds and off we went … back over the “mountains, valleys, and rivers.”

Our next stop was with a wonderful vet who was standing by to check me out from head to tail and start the medical treatment I so desperately needed.  I was so excited to let him know that “I am here!” and I poured out of the car, only to be caught by four people.

First, there was the humbling experience of the initial big “weigh in.”  I felt like I was a contestant on either the reality show "The Biggest Loser" or "Extreme Makeover – Weight Loss Edition.”

But that is ok, because I knew I couldn’t have gotten this far by myself without the help of so many heroes who came to my rescue, surrounding me with care, compassion and the will to survive!  I can still hear the Angels singing:

“Cuz Summer ...There ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough, Summer … To keep us from getting to you.”

I hope you will follow me on my journey and celebrate my successes, challenges and tough times, and my determination to never give up ….(Deep sigh) … For tonight, I will sleep tight!

Until next time,
~ Summer 

Copyright - Summer's Journey 2011 - All rights reserved