Pets, POTS, and Purpose

Five years ago, I posted a photo on my Facebook page of the swimming pool where I was vacationing with my two children. What I did not realize at the time was my 11-year-old daughter’s life would drastically change starting that next day.

An upset stomach. A panic attack. A vacation cut short.

Four years, multiple chronic symptoms, two hospitalizations, and far too many doctors saying “it’s probably just anxiety” later, my daughter and I cried tears of relief when a cardiologist finally said those words. “You have Dysautonomia.”

Finally! A diagnosis.

Dysautonomia is not well-known or understood by most doctors, and the most well known variety is called POTS syndrome. COVID-19 has increased awareness as a growing number of COVID “long haulers” are experiencing the life-changing, often debilitating condition. Dysautonomia causes the autonomic nervous system to go haywire, bringing a host of symptoms with it. Rapid heart rate. Low blood pressure. Nausea. Fainting. Migraines. Heat and exercise intolerance. Severe brain fog. Insomnia. And on and on.

There is no known cure…yet.

But at least Abby finally found a doctor who believed her and we had some answers. At the time, that was enough.

Going back to that original vacation, Abby spent most of her summer in bed. She struggled to eat without feeling sick. She felt lightheaded every time she got up. She panicked if I left her side. My military husband was away on orders. And her pediatrician and therapist had no real answers.

As she tried to start middle school, she couldn’t make it through the day. She felt too sick, and I had no real choice but to eventually pull her out and homeschool.

As my then 11-year-old daughter’s health continued to turn downward for no clear reason, we discovered we could visit the local animal shelter and pet the cats. An avid animal lover, this was heaven for Abby. We began just going and sitting in the cat room, often for hours. And she began to make significant improvements emotionally and mentally, which helped her push through physically.

Weeks later, we went through the official shelter volunteer training. Abby felt good enough to love on the dogs – which required more energy. Some days we’d stay the full six hours they were open. Abby was granted special privileges, such as helping administer medicine. And we were named the shelter’s “Volunteer Family of the Year” for four years in a row.

When COVID hit, the shelter closed off to volunteers. We had to come up with other ways to keep spirits high. We had to dream. And one of our dreams was to help other stray animals. And that involved upcycling.

We started with making bandanas and dog/cat beds out of sweaters we found at Goodwill, with plans to give a portion of the proceeds to animal rescue groups. However, our dreams have grown.

We’d love to open a cat café. Abby – who’s now 16 – struggles to stand for long periods of time, but she can sit and love on cats all day – and that’s a big part of a cat café. We’d also use our crafting creativity to upcycle and build cat furniture for our café, as well as to sell. As a mom, I’d love to help her build a “normal” future and a business that caters to her disability, helps with animal rescues, and hopefully helps provide jobs for other individuals with disabilities.

It’s been a rough few years, but Abby and I have grown incredibly close in the process, and she's stronger than any 16-year-old I've ever met. Crafting through upcycling has been a big part of that. We have big ideas, but our crafting skills are not necessarily as great as our goals...at least not yet. It doesn't matter.

Upcycling gives us a purpose. It gives us joy. Our failures make us laugh. Our wins make us proud. And most importantly, our crafting gives us an outlet to dream, and where there’s a dream, there’s hope.