In addition to what people have posted as comments on this web-site and on Cory’s facebook profile, I have received comments from people on my private e-mail and on my personal facebook profile who have read Cory’s Story. You can see a sampling of those comments here: read reviews. I am delighted that people’s lives have been touched by our beloved Cory. Every time someone reads it I know that Cory is alive again in the reader’s mind’s eye for as long as it takes to read the book, and in that short time Cory is once again running joyfully, being naughty, fighting to overcome a dreadful disease, and finally achieving seizure-free, “great-dog” status.
Today is the first day I have experienced the emotion of joy since Cory passed away last month. That is not to say I have stopped grieving, because I still am. But Cory’s Story the book got its first review today, and it was a 5 starreview which just rocked my world. The reviewer, Penny Eims of the Examiner has a following of devoted fans who in turn told their friends and family about her uplifting review. One of them, Lorie in Canada, who lost her beloved dog “Blaze” to epilepsy, had this to say:
“Amazing story, Cory is now for ever in my heart! I’m thrilled to have found you and thank you for speaking and writing on such a diesase as K9 epilepsy, it’s more common than many know.”
I welcome everyone who stops to read here, and I thank those of you who have been so supportive of me, and those of you who have purchased my book. I have made lots of trips to the post office lately to mail the books out. I send each book with a little prayer that the reader will enjoy it and that information in it will be helpful in some way. I really appreciate your feedback once you have read the book.
It is with great pleasure that I announce the release of Cory’s Story. At this time, it is available exclusively through our website @ corysstory.com. You can get it as an e-book or in hardback. For all of Cory’s fans who have been waiting patiently, today is your day! I wrote the book with the hopes of helping dogs live better, healthier lives. I look forward to your feedback once you have read the book.
It has been almost two weeks since we said our final farewell to Cory. We have spent this time doing our best to recover from the grief that comes with the loss of any beloved family member. But life goes on. I received word from my publisher yesterday that she will have books in time for the Pacific NW Booksellers (PNBA.org) fall trade show, to be held in Portland, Oregon on October 8 & 9, where “Cory’s Story” will be featured. I have made reservations to be there! In attendance will be 300 – 500 bookstore owners, buyers, managers and librarians. I’m told it will take several weeks from the time we get the books until they get distributed to the book stores. In the meantime, once we get them we will be selling Cory’s Story through this website (also as an e-book!) I will personally mail all of the books ordered through this website and I will sign them for anyone who would like me to. Thanks to all of Cory’s fans who have stayed with us, waiting patiently, as well as a huge welcome to all of the new fans who have just joined us! This blog will continue with information about the release of the book, as well as articles that may be helpful or informative about the well being of our dogs.
I submitted my manuscript almost a month ago and am still waiting to hear back. In the meantime, for those of you who have asked that I bring the focus of this blog back to canine epilepsy, here is a snipet from the book:
“We hoped that there would not be another seizure, but there was, not even two months after the first Grand Mal. We took Cory to his regular vet in Seattle and explained about the 2 seizures he’d had, and we had a full work up done. Everything was negative which meant that Cory had no brain tumor, no thyroid levels off, absolutely nothing physical that could explain why he was having seizures. So he was diagnosed as having idiopathic epilepsy, and we were advised to keep track of the seizures to see how often they were and if we could determine any possible triggers. I, of course, became the appointed seizure keeping secretary.”
We found that it is very helpful to keep a seizure log. For me, it helped me stay honest about the seizures because my mind wanted badly to be in denial about them.
I recently got done sorting each blog post thus far into appropriate categories. Since Cory’s story is all about canine epilepsy (and more recently, cauda equina syndrome), I wanted to make this blog an easy resource for anyone else who has dogs suffering from either affliction. There are two new navigation buttons at the top which allow you to filter blog posts by cauda equina, or dog seizures. I will be adding new content to each of these categories regularly with the hopes of this blog becoming not only a way to update you all on Cory’s condition and the progress of the book Sandy is writing, but also a valuable resource for all dog owners.
I visited home this weekend and was delighted to see Cory. I can tell that he has made progress, and I took a video to show you all his condition so you can see for yourself. I will post the video very soon =)
Hey everyone, I know you’re waiting on news about Cory, but I’ll let Sandy make that update since she has more information than I do, but I can tell you that it’s great news =)
But for now, I wanted to let you all know that Cory’s Story now has a Google Buzz profile, so if you want to stay easily updated on Cory’s Story but you’re not a big fan of Twitter, Facebook or RSS feeds, you can connect with us on Gmail! You’ll also notice a new button to the left of every post, which you can click to easily share Cory’s Story with your friends on Gmail. We have zero followers right now, so it would really make our day to connect with some of you on Gmail Buzz!
As most of you know, “Cory’s Story” is the name of a book that I am writing. I have most of it done, and am now in the process of “fine tuning” it. I had lunch today with Shirley Enebrad who recently published her book “Over the Rainbow Bridge” which is one of my favorite books of all time. Shirley shared with me some of her experiences about writing and publishing a book, and she is going to refer me to her publisher. I am hopeful that “Cory’s Story” may be ready by mid to late summer. Coincidentally, Shirley’s story is also about a “Cory,” whose life experiences will positively affect anyone who reads it. Here is a link to her website, and you can purchase her book at amazon.com. Check out the reviews of her book on amazon.com!! While you are waiting for “Cory’s Story” I strongly recommend that you read “Over the Rainbow Bridge”!
Cory is getting close to his 13th birthday, and has some pain issues relating to arthritis and joint inflammation. We have tried a few different prescriptions, the most recent being Rimadyl. We have an appointment to see Cory’s vet this coming Monday to see what his other options might be, because the Rimadyl isn’t giving the relief he needs and is causing him nausea. He still has spunk and energy and wants us to play with him every evening when we get home. If any of you have any tips to pass along, Cory would be very grateful.
Cory and I have many traditions together, but one I really look forward to is our Christmas Eve night walk. Every Christmas Eve for the last several years, around midnight, we walk to Arbor Heights Elementary, which is where I went to school from Kindergarten through 5th grade. Of course, we all have fond memories of our childhood, and going back to the huge playground there always brings back great memories for me and Cory.
A couple years ago, it snowed heavily on Christmas Eve, and Cory and I had a blast trudging through the snow, which was so deep that Cory had to bounce his way through it, up to his belly in snow.
Before we turn around and head home, we love to sit atop the hill and absorb the peacefulness all around with the Christmas lights, silence, and the moonlight.
What are some of your favorite traditions with your dog? I’d like to hear about them!
