Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Yorkie Lover Terry Shumansky


I come across the most amazing people
and the most amazing stories everyday!
While doing some research I came across Terry Shumanksy.
Terri was a remarkable woman who dedicated her life to breeding
and caring for toy dogs, mainly Yorkies, for over 30 years.
She was an AKC approved judge and raised over 35
homebred champions. In 2000, she wrote her own book titled,
Terri was a leading advocate of fundraising for the treatment
of liver shunt. She often donated proceeds from
the sales of hand made handicrafts for
the research and treatment of liver shunt.
Terry wrote numerous articles for various magazines
Having lost a dog of her own to the disease,
Terri was sympathetic with dog owners who could not afford
to have the expensive liver shunt surgery and offered to pay for a
portion of the treatment from funds collected through
the Fanny Mae Liver Shunt Fund.

Terri owned and operated the website,
(which is kept up, in her memory)
which offers helpful information on Yorkshire Terriers,
useful links, Yorkie pictures and a store of
hand crafted gifts made by Terri herself.

Terri had been battling kidney failure and went in to
have a shunt inserted for dialysis.
Unfortunately, the surgery did not go as planned and doctors
had to induce a coma. Her condition was deteriorating
and her family made the decision to take her off life support.
Her husband, John had been battling Parkinson's for many years
and his condition dramatically worsened as Terri became ill.
They were taken off life support on the same day and they
passed away within hours of each other on March 26, 2005.
Does that move you tears, or what?

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