'I thought I lost her as well' — Grieving Newark widow appeals for help in fundraising for his Welsh Springer Spaniel's tetanus says he wouldn't have got over death of wife without his fluffy pal
A man who is appealing for help in raising money for his dog who contracted tetanus said he would not have got through his wife’s death without the Welsh springer spaniel.
Andrew Parker’s wife of nearly 17 years, Barbara, died in August 2017 after she was diagnosed late with brain cancer that had spread from her breast.
Andrew, 67, of Newark, said his fluffy pal, Morgan, 7, was the reason he got to the place he is today after the devastating loss of his ‘absolute world’, and is now trying to raise £15,000 to help pay for vet bills to treat his dog’s tetanus.
“Morgan helped me through my wife’s passing because she was there, and because of her I had to go out,” said Andrew.
“It meant I was out talking and interacting with people while with Morgan.
“But on November 17, she got a thorn in her paw which got deep and caused tetanus.
“Morgan went to Pride Vet Centre in Derby and was there for 2½ weeks under sedation, and was completely out of it — I thought I had lost her as well.”
Andrew said he and Barbara, 62, met on the internet and she soon came over from America.
“Barbara was full of energy, determined and she just liked being with me,” he said.
“She meant everything to me because we got together late in life and suddenly there was someone I could share my life with — and someone I could talk to about anything.
“Towards the end she struggled to stand up and I had to help her up every time. One time, I could not pick her up and she went into King’s Mill Hospital where they eventually diagnosed her.
“About ten days from going into hospital, she passed away. I was devastated, like my whole world had come to an end.”
Andrew said he was supported by friends, his niece, who did shopping for him, and his brother.
But he said it was at least a few months before he started to go out again and do normal things.
“Without Morgan I would not have got to the place I did. It would certainly have been very difficult without her,” Andrew said.
Since contracting tetanus in November, Morgan lost a lot of weight and was unable to walk for a while.
Andrew said sometimes when she sleeps she has fits, but these are now not as frequent.
He said: “I started a Morgan group on Whatsapp to show people her progress. Everyone said the first pictures of her walking were sad because she could hardly walk, but it was heartening for me as she was not unconscious.
“The vet said she had a tremendous amount of fighting spirit and Morgan started to pull through.
“He seems to think it will take about six months before the tetanus is out of Morgan’s system.”
Andrew said despite the battle his dog has endured and is still fighting, that Morgan is now barking again and has a sparkle in her eyes.
“She came home on December 13 for Christmas and I was so lucky to have her back,” he said.
“Morgan is my world now. She is everything to me.”
To donate towards Morgan’s vet treatment, go to bit.ly/2rGaFrF.
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