bad news and then good news and then excellent news - Kangaroo care

Now I know why Walker is trying to get all Wisconsin retiree's back to Wisconsin - he is trying to save us!

Randy has been on the waiting list for a heart transplant for years because of cardiomyopathy, his heart muscle is deteriorating. The condition is the result of rheumatic fever he had as a child (exactly like what I had in the 3rd grade).

Because a heart transplant costs $997,000 his insurance would not cover the entire amount but in Arizona a State Agency would cover the extra cost for low-income people (like Badger Care in Wisconsin). He was forced to quit his plumbing job so. . he was low income.

FINALLY after years of waiting he was next in line and the 36 year old with a 3 year old son was excited.

BUT - the very next day the State cut out all funding for heart transplants in order to save money (like Walker wants to do)! Sorry Randy!

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Then there is Target the Afghanistan war hero dog. Perhaps you saw him on Oprah a few weeks ago? She was a stray Afghanistan dog that befriended American solders and she and a couple of her friend dogs chased away a suicide bomber who tried to blow up a military base. The bomber did blow himself up along with a friend dog and severally injured Target.

Well, Target and Rufus were on tour in America and Target escaped out of her yard on Friday. They found her at the shelter but thought the shelter was closed on the weekend. So Monday the handler and his 3 kids went to pick her up but . . .

the shelter accidentally euthanized Target her Sunday.
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ENOUGH BAD NEWS

There is a sapphire frenzy with the engagement of Prince Willy and Princess Elect Kate. I believe now is the right time to try to corner the market on ALL sapphires!!
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In West Virginia a guy was rummaging through his attic and found an old painting depicting the Texas Revolution's decisive 1836 Battle of San Jacinto.

Seems it's been missing for more then 100 years and is worth $100,000.


More good news

It was a final chance to say goodbye for grieving mother Kate Ogg after doctors gave up hope of saving her premature baby.

She tearfully told her lifeless son - born at 27 weeks weighing 2lb - how much she loved him and cuddled him tightly, not wanting to let him go.

Although little Jamie's twin sister Emily had been delivered successfully, doctors had given Mrs Ogg the news all mothers dread - that after 20 minutes of battling to get her son to breathe, they had declared him dead.

Having given up on a miracle, Mrs Ogg unwrapped the baby from his blanket and held him against her skin when an extraordinary thing happened.

After two hours of being hugged, touched and spoken to by his mother, the little boy began showing signs of life.

At first, it was just a gasp for air that was dismissed by doctors as a reflex action.

But then the startled mother fed him a little breast milk on her finger and he started breathing normally.

'I thought, "Oh my God, what's going on",' said Mrs Ogg.

'A short time later he opened his eyes. It was a miracle. Then he held out his hand and grabbed my finger.'

'He opened his eyes and moved his head from side to side. The doctor kept shaking his head saying, "I don't believe it, I don't believe it".'

The Australian mother spoke publicly for the first time yesterday to highlight the importance of skin-on-skin care for sick babies, which is being used at an increasing number of British hospitals.

In most cases, babies are rushed off to intensive care if there is a serious problem during the birth.

But the 'kangaroo care' technique, named after the way kangaroos hold their young in a pouch next to their bodies, allows the mother to act as a human incubator to keep babies warm, stimulated and fed.

Pre-term and low birth-weight babies treated with the skin-to-skin method have also been shown to have lower infection rates, less severe illness, improved sleep patterns and are at reduced risk of hypothermia.

and that is the good news!

Rod