Cameron, B.D.

When Cameron was 3 years old, his bear Henri required surgery. His stitching had come loose, resulting in a stuffing hernia. (Which I'm sure you know is pretty serious . . . ) Cameron was deeply concerned for Henri's well-being, but felt confident that he would be in good hands. You see, as luck would have it, Cameron and I are both bear physicians. We considered going for an M.D., but B.D.s are in such demand these days. And, we both felt a real calling to care for bears.

So, on the big day, Cameron prepped Henri and checked his vitals. (Unlike M.D.s, B.D.s don't rely on nurses and assistants. We're VERY hands on.)

I'll spare you the surgical photos. They're pretty gory. But rest assured that, despite a scare when Henri's temperature suddenly skyrocketed mid-procedure, he came through with flying colors. Cameron took him to recovery and tenderly applied an icepack.When Henri awoke, groggy and nauseated from the anesthesia, Cameron was so happy. Henri's recovery was long and arduous, but he was well-cared for and made a complete come back.In fact, we hardly even think about Henri's surgery these days! Until, a few days ago, when, during a well-bear visit, Cameron made the grim discovery that Henri had another stuffing hernia. And no, it wasn't a recurrence -- my original repair has held up quite nicely, thank you very much, and Henri's fur even hides his unsightly scar. No, this was a new injury.

"Do you want to wear your scrubs?" I asked Cameron.

With the scorn that only a five-year-old can muster, Cameron said, "Noooo, mom. Just get a needle and sew him up!" There was no ice pack, no monitoring pulse and respiration this time. Just a few quick stitches with little fan fare. But I know that Cameron isn't as tough as he pretends to be. When it was all over, he gave Henri a fierce hug and said, "Phew. I'm going to remember this day for the rest of my life."