332 | Dawn Blair - The Author of ”Me and Mr. Monks”

Unknown Speaker  0:03  
Welcome to positive talk radio. Our goal is simple to explore evolving ideas, one conversation at a time. So stay with us. Right now, we present. And welcome everybody to another episode of positive talk radio. I am really blessed because we've got a wonderful lady here that we're going to be talking to. She's an author. She's got a great book out. It's called me and Mr. Monks. And Mr. Monk is her puppy dog that allowed if you go to Amazon and you see the puppy dog, you can see that Mr. Monks allowed her to dress him up. And they were, they were really, really close. And there's a story behind that. And that story became the book, and how Mr. Monk saved your life. And you're also a hospice nurse. And you're in health care, and, and you're kind of battling COVID. Again, I bet today, so. So I want to thank you very much for being here.

Unknown Speaker  1:05  
Well, your thank you for having me.

Unknown Speaker  1:08  
It's a great book that you that you have written. And let's talk a little bit about that. How long, Mr. Monks came to you at a really important time in your life?

Unknown Speaker  1:22  
He did. He came to me, um, he actually was rescued on February 14 2015, which is Valentine's Day. And, you know, little did I know that I would, I would, he would end up rescuing me basically. You know, when he came to me, he was a mess. He was he was in terrible shape. He was missing most of his hair. He had scabs all over his body, terrible skin infection, which required baths medicated baths every other day. He had terrible ear infection that took over a year to get under control. Um, he was a mess. He was underweight. But you know, I always used to say, you know, like, like, I'm talking in his voice. He used to refer to me as his lady. And you will see that throughout the book. I'm referred to as his lady. Not just don or or, you know, my mom, but I'm his lady. And so he would say, my lady took me in healed me up, and now I'm good as new. And he was good as new in about six months.

Unknown Speaker  2:37  
And that's Mr. Monks. Right that Mr. Monk right there. Yep, that's him. And he's got a wonderful smile on his face. And he's, he's really cool. was a really cool friend. And and you had him until relatively recently.

Unknown Speaker  2:54  
Well, next week, it'll be a year. Next Wednesday is the anniversary of his one year debt of his passing. October 12 2021. Is when he passed away. I had him six and a half years.

Unknown Speaker  3:10  
And do you have any idea how old he actually was? Was he in his

Unknown Speaker  3:14  
13? I knew his birthday, march 9.

Unknown Speaker  3:19  
Oh, wow. Wow. Normally dogs that are abused like that you it's hard to find. And there are rescue, it's hard to find their birthdate and all that sort of thing. Well, the

Unknown Speaker  3:27  
lady that had him before me, had him since he was a puppy. And she had all his papers. And so when I got him, all those papers were transferred to me.

Unknown Speaker  3:39  
So she had him for six years. And how was she infirmed? Was there a reason why Mr. Monks wasn't taken care of.

Unknown Speaker  3:49  
She didn't care for it. She didn't want him anymore. She she was when she was with a man and having a baby and all you know, the baby daddy didn't like him. And so she kept them in a crate. 24 hours a day. Oh, that's basically a neglected and like neglected him. And that's what, that's what happened at the shelter that day on on Valentine's Day is her. She sent her mother up there with him. And her mom said, Yeah, I want to I want to surrender this dog because my daughter doesn't want him anymore.

Unknown Speaker  4:23  
Oh, wow. And I wish it had done that a couple of years sooner. Before we went through all that

Unknown Speaker  4:29  
I wish I had him. I wish I had those six years back. That's what I wish.

Unknown Speaker  4:34  
Yeah. And you wrote the book because he was such an important part of your life. But But tell us about what the motivation was to write the book.

Unknown Speaker  4:45  
The motivation to write the book was when he died, I was going through so much so such overwhelming grief that I wanted to find a way to memorialize him. So Had everyone knew what an amazing animal he was what amazing little soul he was. And that's really why I wrote it. Because I'm, you know, I've always been good at writing. But I want to, I want people to know all around the world, how much of a difference he made in my life and how, how much of a special soul he was.

Unknown Speaker  5:26  
You know, we talked a little bit before we came on the show. And you also because you valued him so much, and you missed him so much. You also went to psychic mediums to talk and see if you could get through to him, didn't you?

Unknown Speaker  5:40  
I did, I did. After he passed away, a good friend of mine gifted me a session with a medium, and I will never forget it. I sent her three pictures of him looking into the camera and a picture of myself looking in the camera. And the first thing out of her mouth was he was obsessed with you. And that was that was immediate. And then the next day she sent me like a three page reading. And she knew nothing about him. She knew didn't know his name, didn't know his age, didn't know what he died from. Didn't know, his past his history didn't know that I was chronically ill. The stuff she said. It was unbelievable. I know, she talked to him. I know she did it. This, you couldn't have made it up. But yes, I went to medium. And she was so on point with what she said about it with what he was telling her.

Unknown Speaker  6:44  
You know, I gotta tell you, Don, there are people wandering around our world who don't believe that animals have souls. And I'm one of the reasons I'm glad you wrote this book, is to help dispel that a little bit because they do have souls and they are there. They're part of the, the family that we all are and, and so they're not just a piece of meat that when they die, they're they're gone. They have, they have a soul. And that's all carries on.

Unknown Speaker  7:18  
They do and it either becomes a part of the earth or it becomes it really, you know, it regenerates itself. So this medium, told me that monkey had been reincarnated and was a human at one point and came back as an animal. And that we had been together in a former life.

Unknown Speaker  7:43  
And I fully believe that then the other thing is, is that that Mr. Monks came, came to you at your time of need, and that was kind of pre arranged.

Unknown Speaker  7:53  
Yes. And, and he never, you know, almost rescue dogs would be literally walking into somebody's in somebody's house that they've never met before. And, and, you know, they they would they would feel they would be a little bit afraid of these two giant pitbulls that are towering over them. Monkey he, Mr. Monks never had that issue. He walked in my house, like he had been there his whole entire life. Like he knew that like he was home. And I thought about that until after he passed away and how and after I talked to that medium, and how it has to be so that we were together in a former life. He knew it. But I didn't know what he knew he had found me.

Unknown Speaker  8:40  
Right, that was kind of I tend to believe, see those things happen. And they're not they're not coincidences. They're not happenstance. I think that that that is all by divine planning.

Unknown Speaker  8:51  
That's, that's true. Yes, I do. I'm a big believer now and all of that. And, you know, reincarnation, of course, I've always thought animals had a soul. But I'm a big believer and all of that.

Unknown Speaker  9:05  
Well, and there's, there's another reason that and we'll get into a little bit later, but you're also and by the way, want to thank you for your service, you're in healthcare. And you are a hospice nurse. And and that you get you have the opportunity. And I say opportunity because you get to talk to people in their last days. And you get to work with people who and and create a little bit better understanding and to help them through that transition all the way through. It's an it's an amazing thing you do. Yes, thank you. And it takes a certain amount of it takes a certain person to be able to do that. But you've seen I imagine you've seen some remarkable things over time.

Unknown Speaker  9:50  
I have I have you know, I've seen I've seen some remarkable things and I've seen in I've made some remarkable for friendships as well. Because of my work in hospice, because sometimes, you know, if you're with a family for a long time, you almost become part of their family. And, you know, you know, just an example, my, my patient that I've had the longest of any patient that I've ever had in my life, as a nurse recently passed away on August 26. And he, I'm, like, part of his family now, you know, his son tall. I mean, I still talk to his son all the time. And I've been to their house for dinner. I spoke at his funeral. So, yeah, you become very close to some of these people.

Unknown Speaker  10:49  
It's an amazing experience to, to go through that and what, you've been in healthcare for a while, but you felt like hospitals was your calling? Yeah. Is that true? Yes. And why was that? Do you think

Unknown Speaker  11:05  
I feel like hospice is always been my is my niche, because I understand where that hot, where that patients coming from. You know, at the end of life, you have a terminal disease, I have a chronic disease. Sometimes you want to just give up and throw in the towel. And a lot of times hospice patients want to do the same thing. And when you can talk to them and compare, you know, kind of give them some insight on your own issues. It's, it's helpful to them. Hey, you know, my nurse has a chronic disease, and she's still coming to see me. Yeah, you know, so it, it gives them a little bit of hope and a little bit of, you know, I'm not the only one type thing you know, they're not the only one suffering.

Unknown Speaker  12:00  
Exactly. Now, you mentioned the chronic disease. That was Lyme disease, wasn't it? Yes, I have chronic Lyme disease. And that came from a tick while you're out and about,

Unknown Speaker  12:10  
yeah, no one knows. When I got it. No one has any clue? How it how I got it from a tick and see it can come from a flea it can come from a mosquito or what age I was.

Unknown Speaker  12:25  
But you've been dealing with with it for quite some time.

Unknown Speaker  12:27  
Yes. It started coming out in 2017. Oh, wow. So it's been five years. You can have it for a long time. And it lays dormant. Um, and then at times of stress or trauma or anything? It will, it will it will show itself.

Unknown Speaker  12:49  
How are you feeling today? Other than the fact that you're, you're tired, you've got COVID You've got Lyme disease. How you doing?

Unknown Speaker  12:58  
I have a lot of joint pain. Um, that, you know, doesn't really ever go away.

Unknown Speaker  13:04  
Now, is that because of the inflammation?

Unknown Speaker  13:07  
It's from Lyme disease will cause and type of arthritis in your joints. Oh,

Unknown Speaker  13:13  
oh, yeah. But that's why Mr. monk's was it was so important for him to come into your life at that time. Because it was he was helping you get through it and and from what you're telling me he never left your side.

Unknown Speaker  13:29  
He never did. That's all it was was like stuck to me like Velcro. I'll tell you, I wouldn't be here talking to you right now, if it hadn't been for him because I would have killed myself years ago. Um, he is the one that kept me going. He he he's the one that kept me from, you know, slitting my wrists or doing whatever else I could have done to myself, because I thought about it every day. Because it got to a point where I couldn't leave my house. You know, I've been to 26 doctors. Nobody would help me. Everyone said it was in my head. And I was crazy and that I needed to go see a psychiatrist. And you know, I remember one time sitting in my bathroom floor. And, you know, I had these big open sores on my face. Because the type of loss disease I have, affects your skin. And so I had these big open ulcers on my face, and I couldn't cover them up with makeup and I just set in the floor and sobbed and sobbed and just, you know, cried and I looked up and in the doorway. He was standing there Mr. Monks was standing, staring at me. And at that point, I knew I was like, I can't I have to keep going for him because it will kill him. If I'm going

Unknown Speaker  15:06  
well, in the end, the reason I believe the reason he came into your life was to give you hope, and to give you a reason to continue. So because you are helping a lot of people day in and day out with the work that you do.

Unknown Speaker  15:19  
Yeah, yeah, that's true. I mean, and I agree. I mean, he, he was, he was my he was the brightest part of mine. He was the brightest part in my life. He was like a ray of sunshine in a very dark, dark dark cave.

Unknown Speaker  15:36  
Yeah. And he lives you have how many dogs? Five? That's so he was part of the tribe of the dogs of the house.

Unknown Speaker  15:45  
Yeah, well, the player pups, but at the, at the time, that monkey Mr. months was alive. I had four. And so you know, after he died, I got two little dogs, which I regret.

Unknown Speaker  16:03  
Um, there are a lot of work. But um, you know, I realized that can't replace him. And I don't want to.

Unknown Speaker  16:18  
Well, you know, I've been I've talked to several people who are animal communicators, and with work with animals and so forth. And sometimes they'll tell them, they'll tell me that the soul of Mr. Monks can come into another new puppy dog to continue their relationship with you and that, that they'll tell me that's happened before? I don't know whether you believe that or not.

Unknown Speaker  16:40  
I do. But you know what, it's not a one of these two. I know. Right? Because, go ahead. I've got a long haired Chihuahua who is kind of a jerk and and then I have a Brussels for follow on which, incidentally, is what monkey what Mr. Wants was half Brussels for fun. And if he sent me any dog, it was that one. Just my bed at the time monk, Mr. Monks vet found that dog for me. But he's dumb is a post. He's nuts. You know, he has a lot of the characteristics of month of Mr. Monks. He's He's very cuddly. He's very loving. He'll dress up, you know, you can dress him up. He likes to ride the car in his car seat, you know, but he's so stupid. It's just not smart. It's not a smart dog. And Mr. monk's was so smart.

Unknown Speaker  17:45  
We'll see. And that's the thing is that, that the he may not be in that body. But he may be coming to you yet. He hasn't been gone very long.

Unknown Speaker  17:55  
Yeah, he may. He may. I always hope for that for that.

Unknown Speaker  17:59  
Yeah. So I have a gentleman here. He wrote a book about his dog Tyson. I interviewed him and he will swear to you up and down. Now he was not a metaphysical guy. He wasn't into really into spirituality. But he went his dog, just like what you did. When his dog passed away. Tyson he went to a psychic medium. And he actually ended up going to two or three, and they all verify the same thing. And he was going to come back. And then he and he didn't believe it, then believe it didn't believe it. And then one day, dog just like him just walked in, into their life. And I can't remember how it came to be. But that's not like they went searching for him. It just kind of showed up. He swears that this dog is the living reincarnation of Tyson because he acts the same way. He does the same things. And all that so don't give up hope it's gonna happen yet.

Unknown Speaker  19:00  
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I won't. I won't, you know, of course. I many, many days, I thought Why didn't I have the vet take a swab of him his cells to read to to clone him? You know, because I would have totally done it.

Unknown Speaker  19:19  
Can they do that nowadays? Oh, yeah.

Unknown Speaker  19:22  
For like 60 $70,000.

Unknown Speaker  19:25  
Oh, well, I suppose for $70,000 you can get almost anything that I mean,

Unknown Speaker  19:30  
the dog isn't isn't isn't doesn't have the same personality, but it has the same it looks exactly the same.

Unknown Speaker  19:37  
Right. Well, you know what, I firmly believe that, that if Mr. Ma if you you still need Mr. Monks, he will come back to you. And it will be in the most remarkable way. And that will be your second book.

Unknown Speaker  19:51  
Yeah, well, that that will be a book. I'm working on my second book,

Unknown Speaker  19:59  
or you're watching What's your second book gonna be about?

Unknown Speaker  20:02  
My second book is about my special needs Pitbull Bradley. Ah, um,

Unknown Speaker  20:11  
what's wrong with Bradley?

Unknown Speaker  20:13  
He had hydrocephalus as a puppy. So somebody hit him in the head, know a person hit him in the head cause water on on his brain. So he has brain damage, permanent brain damage. He was our foster dog through Richmond Animal Care and Control and the Richmond City shelter. We were the only ones that would take him. And we did all of his medical foster medical treatment. And, you know, he used to have up to eight petit mal seizures a day. He wouldn't walk straight line he fall down on being all the time is that in the back end, like we just give out and fall. He was really hyperactive. I mean, extremely hyperactive, couldn't settle down. You know, not potty trained whatsoever. He'll never be 100% potty trained, and he's five years old. Um, but um, we took him back to the shelter to get him adopted out and a girl came and adopted him the next day because he's, I mean, this dog is stunning. He is absolutely beautiful. And he's huge. He's nothing but muscle. He's gorgeous dog. He is by far the most beautiful dog we have. But um, she, she adopted him. She had no business adopting him. We gave the director of the shelter a list of rules to go by, what he needs, what kind of home he needs, and she went exactly the opposite. Oh, dear. So six weeks later, she returned them and said he attacked her 120 pound Mastiff. Bradley couldn't attack a broomstick. I'll tell you he is he is afraid of his own shadow. He is the most. He doesn't know how to attack anything. He's just he didn't have the mental capacity. And I went up there to see him because she sent me a text message saying, you know, the shelter's full, I'm going to put Bradley Bradley to sleep. I'm going to euthanize him tomorrow. So I went up there to see him and he he had wounds all over him. Oh, and it looked like he had been living outside. But neurologically, he was completely better. He was completely neurologically sound could run a straight line just as fast. Walking on leash, I mean, the the hydrocephalus the water, you know, the water on his brain had completely resolved. So I spent about an hour and a half with him outside in the play yard. In this hot hot sun, it was like 96 degrees. And I texted everyone I knew about dog, you know, dog behavior and stuff. And you know, I went to take him back in and the shelter lobby was full. And you know, he's afraid of most people. But he sat right next to me in that lobby full of people. And SEC sat down on the floor and perfect. And then I went to take him to the back. And he collapsed in fear. And I had to pick him up and carrying all 50 some pounds of him the very back of the shelter. Because he was paired he was petrified. That shelter just petrified he was terrified of it. Sure. So basically, I went home and I told my husband and I said, Look, I can't let him die. For what for being different. You know, I can't let him die. I'm not gonna let this dog dog because he's got brain damage. I mean, that's ridiculous. So, because he's the kindest thing you'd ever meet, He's so kind and sweet. I'm so you know, the plan was the next day to text. Christie, who was the director of Animal Care and Control, and, um, to go get in. And so that's what that's what I did. I texted her the next morning, and about 830 And I sent her this long text saying how I assessed him and what I what my thoughts were basically that, you know, that they were going to put him to sleep for, for no good reason, because he's not attacking anybody's dog. And I know that that former editor lied. But um, that, um, that that I was coming to get him. And I'm, like, 45 minutes went by, I didn't hear anything and I was like, this is weird. Finally, she texts me back and she says Oh, I'm glad I looked at my phone, because I had already we had already sedated him to euthanize him. No cheese. So I literally rescued him off of the table

Unknown Speaker  25:13  
off of the euthanasia table. That dog knows that I rescued him that dog knows I saved his life.

Unknown Speaker  25:24  
Then he's so he's become kind of like Mr. Monks, maybe a little bit, except he's got brain damage.

Unknown Speaker  25:32  
Mr. Monks hated him. And that's, Mr. Monks hated him. And that was Mr. monk's didn't have a problem with any of the other dogs here except for Bradley. And that's because monkey was so smart. And knew, he knew that I rescued that dog. And there was jealousy there. And that's, that's a whole human component. That's a human thing. You know, I mean, how did you know how did he know? He knew somehow

Unknown Speaker  26:06  
cuz he was really smart.

Unknown Speaker  26:07  
Yeah. And I think he knew a lot of what I was saying things I was talking about. I think he knew and I'm so monkey couldn't stand Bradley monkey actually bid him in the face at least five times. And well, you know, Bradley, Ruby, 80 pounds. Oh, wow. Good to kill them in a second. But Bradley's tear was terrified. Monkey terrified up and terrified. Would would avoid him at all costs. But yeah, you know what, I'll have to tell you. If you told me if you asked me right now, out of all five of my dogs. Which one? If I had to pick one? Which one I would pick? It would be him. It'd be Bradley.

Unknown Speaker  26:59  
Wow. But you you you're a dog person, aren't you? Have you always had dogs? I always have had dogs. Yes. That's that's pretty cool. Because you've got a couple of pitbulls. Three pit bulls, three pit bulls. And then Bradley and one and a little one.

Unknown Speaker  27:15  
Bradley's a pit bull. I got Eleanor who's a pit bull Mongo, who's a pit bull. Kenny, who is a chihuahua and beans who is a Brussels Buffon

Unknown Speaker  27:26  
who named named him Mongo.

Unknown Speaker  27:29  
My husband, that's my husband's job.

Unknown Speaker  27:31  
Oh, and did he name him after Blazing Saddles?

Unknown Speaker  27:36  
He did. And if you sell a Mongo, you know why?

Unknown Speaker  27:41  
Because he's a big ol monster, but not very bright.

Unknown Speaker  27:45  
Yes. Exactly. Yeah. Don't dumb as dumb as can be. I'm so dumb. Actually, Bradley is smarter than him. And Bradley has brain damage. But they are best friends. Bongo and Bradley. We got him on almost the same time. Mongo a little bit sooner. But almost the same time and they are best friends. And you know, Bradley needs a dog that that is confident he has to have a confident dog with him. Because he is so afraid of the world.

Unknown Speaker  28:19  
Yeah, what he's been through a lot.

Unknown Speaker  28:22  
Yeah, he's been he's afraid of children. Just just the lady that adopted him had kids. I don't know what they did to him.

Unknown Speaker  28:31  
It is so sad to me what what people and I suppose they have good intentions when they when they adopt a rescue but then, but then they don't treat the dog well. And so if I wish people like that was just not

Unknown Speaker  28:45  
right. Especially when you're adopting a dog that you know has special needs that you know has problems you know, is coming to you with right well problems mental problems. You know, I mean, like I said, if I had to pick a dog out of all five I would pick Bradley to keep because Bradley could not live without me. He is that that dependent on me just like I couldn't live without Mr. Monks.

Unknown Speaker  29:14  
Well I sincerely hope that that that you guys have a great life together and and but don't be surprised if they if there's another dog that's going to wander into your life that's going to look it might not even look quite like Mr. Monks but in from the outside but you'll be able to tell from the inside that it's the same soul that because they'll act the same way and that dog will be your beloved again.

Unknown Speaker  29:42  
Well, I hope you're correct.

Unknown Speaker  29:45  
I've got it on good authority. I think I'm gonna be I don't

Unknown Speaker  29:50  
I miss monkey. Every single day. He was just, he was just he was the epitome of joy.

Unknown Speaker  29:59  
Well And he is he helped you through a lot. And and by the way is the is a Lyme disease is that, is that a permanent condition? or can that clear up? And? And can you heal from that over time?

Unknown Speaker  30:14  
No. If it's caught soon enough, like right after you get bitten it can it can go away. But since I wasn't diagnosed for three and a half years and 26, doctors thought I was nuts. I have it forever.

Unknown Speaker  30:30  
I'm so sorry that that's the case. Yeah. You're still looking and you're still doing stuff, and you're still taking care of dogs and stuff like that. So you should be proud of yourself.

Unknown Speaker  30:44  
Yeah, I mean, it's it gets to be hard. Sometimes I've had to take time off a lot because of it. Because it flares out. I have like, like a flare up of it. And then I had to take time off. You know, and then I get COVID, which complicates things worse.

Unknown Speaker  31:05  
And you have COVID today, and, and I'm really sorry that that's the case. And hopefully, hopefully you can get some rest and you've got some of this medication, there's newer medication that they are advocating that makes it a little bit easier and stuff. So and what's the name of that medication? Again?

Unknown Speaker  31:24  
It's, it's, it's an infusion like it's an IV infusion. It's called it's monoclonal antibodies.

Unknown Speaker  31:31  
Oh, that's right. And that that is supposed to kill, or at least keep the virus at bay?

Unknown Speaker  31:37  
Yeah. From multiplying in your healthy cells? Yes.

Unknown Speaker  31:41  
Oh, good. So I hope and you just got that done today. Yes. Oh, very good. And if you're if you're listening to this couple of things, COVID is real. It is a it's a condition that you can avoid, to some degree, if with vaccination, and then if you do get it. I was reading an article today that a lot of people are dying, because they're not taking the medication that you just took, for whatever reason, they don't think it's gonna help or they don't think they've got COVID Or what, you know, but but people are still dying, like 400 people a day in this country?

Unknown Speaker  32:16  
Well, you know, it depends on what other pre existing conditions you have to. Yeah, if you have it. Honestly, if you have any kind of lung disease, like COPD, emphysema, bronchitis, chronic bronchitis, you're already setting yourself up for a terrible time.

Unknown Speaker  32:36  
Any heart issues? You know, so I don't have any of those things yet. Yeah,

Unknown Speaker  32:45  
I hope you don't ever have those things you've had enough to deal with.

Unknown Speaker  32:48  
I just don't have any I don't. My immune system is like shot. That's, that's why I got it. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker  32:55  
Yeah. Well, I want you to get some rest. And I want to thank you, first of all, for being here. And if somebody we would like to go to your website, where did they go?

Unknown Speaker  33:06  
Well, Mr. monk's has his own website. And it's Mr. monks.com.

Unknown Speaker  33:12  
And that's Mr. M. O. N. K. s.com.

Unknown Speaker  33:17  
Mr. Mr. Mo, in que es.

Unknown Speaker  33:21  
And that's, that's Mr. munks.com. And then you can go look at him and pictures and the story and, and stuff like that. How long has the book been out?

Unknown Speaker  33:32  
Since since June 3, you can buy the book on his website to

Unknown Speaker  33:37  
please do that shape? Because, yeah, Mr. Monks can can help support you a little bit better, because you get a little bit more money from from that way. So and I Mr. monks would love to, for you to do that. So please do that.

Unknown Speaker  33:52  
And the website is fantastic. It looks it turned out really good. And I'm very proud of

Unknown Speaker  33:59  
it. Well, I want to thank you football. Before we go, I want you to tell our audience anything that you would like them to know about Mr. MGS. About, about you about, about the future for you, or refute or for somebody else. And, and, or about hospice care or anything you'd like to talk about?

Unknown Speaker  34:23  
Well, I just feel like Mr. Moss was my savior. And, you know, the book is about so many different aspects of our relationship, you know, animal rescue, and how important that is. And the fact that there's such a strong connection between a person and an animal, the human animal bond is so strong. You know, and oftentimes people don't understand that until they meet their soul dog, or soul, cat or whatever, whatever animal It could be soul animal, um, you know, and, you know, Mr. Months definitely was mine. And he, he saved my life just like I saved his life. And when he was done, he had to leave. His work was done. But I'm also, you know, with Lyme disease, you know, oftentimes people aren't their own, they don't, they have to be their own advocate, you have to be your own advocate nowadays in healthcare, because no doctor is going to just step out and help you. There's not going to happen. You have to advocate for yourself no matter what. And, you know, if you're, you are a loved one is going through something and are struggling with an illness, and you don't have answers you need to keep looking for answers

Unknown Speaker  35:55  
is the answer to it, it's really a sad these days that. And you can you can verify this for me. Because in the healthcare that I've, that I've experienced in my life, they're, they've got a schedule, they've got a tight schedule your your doctors do, and, and they've got to make it within like a 30 minute meeting or an appointment of like, 1520 minutes, because they stack them to step, stack them appointment, appointment, appointment appointment, all day. So they don't have a lot of time to do research with you and to really explain everything in for you. And so that's why you have to educate yourself and ask questions, that that they, it'll be easier for them to answer. Because they're not going to be able to spend a lot of time with you. Is that true?

Unknown Speaker  36:44  
That's true, that's true. And you know, you have to be you have to go in it when you see a doctor, you really have to be kind of a bully with them. Because, you know, if you're not, they're not gonna listen to you. Yeah, they don't even know you're sitting there.

Unknown Speaker  37:02  
Yeah, because they've got another appointment in 15 minutes, and

Unknown Speaker  37:06  
you can look up from their computer.

Unknown Speaker  37:09  
I've experienced that and, and then he spent the whole time typing in notes in his computer and, and didn't talk to me at all. And stuff and, and that's just not healthcare to me.

Unknown Speaker  37:23  
It's not it's not in the health care system in the US is just, it's atrocious.

Unknown Speaker  37:30  
And for those of you who think that it's the best health care in the world, you are wrong.

Unknown Speaker  37:35  
Very incorrect. I can name many other countries that have a better health care system.

Unknown Speaker  37:42  
And hopefully, we will get will that here some some days. So let's hope so. Yes, indeed. So, uh, Don Blair has been our guest. And I want to thank you for being here, my friend, so much for having me. And I'm so sorry that you lost Mr. Monks. But at the same time, your book is going to help somebody come to terms with their own loss. And I think that's really that's really great. So, so thank you for that.

Unknown Speaker  38:11  
Well, you're welcome. Thank you.

Unknown Speaker  38:13  
And I want you to go why in bed and get some rest and feel better.

Unknown Speaker  38:20  
I'm probably going to do that very shortly. A very good so

Unknown Speaker  38:23  
if you wait right there, I will be right back. Okay. Hey, thanks for enjoying this episode. All the way to the end. Please give us a like and subscribe to this channel. This has been a production of positive talk radio dotnet please visit our website oddly named positive talk radio dotnet for more details about us and our mission, which is to provide great positive programming designed to inspire us all. I'm Kevin McDonald. I'm proud of these shows, and I'm truly hope that you'll like them and share them with friends and family. So on behalf of our entire team, remember, be kind to one another because you