It’s the middle of September, and I always get a little sentimental during this time. My mind drifts back five years to September of 2018 when I lived in an apartment in Nashville, Tennessee – alone except for the company of Gidget McFidget.
I was listed for a heart transplant at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and my apartment was directly across the street from the hospital. Technically, the hospital was two blocks away because the block between the apartment and the hospital was filled with an enormous parking garage for the hospital. If I walked from the apartment door to the front door of the hospital, it would have been about a quarter mile, but there was no way I could walk that far in my condition.
The truth is, I was dying, rapidly. Every day I grew sicker, waiting for the call to save my life. Every day, Gidget McFidget stayed by my side, doing her best to lift my spirits and keep me focused on her instead of the wait.
I’ve finished writing my book, “My Life in Dog Years” which details my transplant journey, and I’m just starting the process of shopping it around to agents on the way to getting it published. Gidget is a major part of the book. While you’re waiting for it to be published, here are some pictures of Gidget from that time when she was my emotional support dog and personal bodyguard.
Gidget sitting on the coffee table next to her leash, trying to convince me to take her for a walk. The Christmas-colored couch can be seen in the background.
Gidget posing on the steps of one of the college buildings on the Vanderbilt campus.
Gidget smiling in my arms.
The picture at the top is her “Blue Steel” pose, and it’s my favorite picture of her.
Dawn Levitt, Author 