Health Update to our Community
Peak City Puppy Owner, Lesley White was admitted to the ICU on August 3 for a sudden and inexplicable hemorrhagic stroke (brain bleed). Lesley spent 10 days at Wake Med and is now resting comfortably at home as she continues to recuperate.
Her update to the Peak City Puppy community is below:
Dear Peak City Puppy Community:
As I write this, I want you to know I am getting well and resting now at home with the love and support of my fiance Jason, my two young daughters, my faithful dog Little Bear and an army of friends and family who have rallied in the past three weeks to ensure I heal as each day passes.
It felt important that I share what happened to me to this community and most importantly, what you can expect from this business in the weeks ahead. Thank you for reading.
On August 1, 2020 I suffered what we now understand as a subarachnoid brain hemorrhage (SAH) or major brain bleed. This is a very serious brain injury that can have disastrous effects on a patient’s health and a death rate of over 50%. I am beyond lucky and so thankful to report that after 10 days in the hospital, I have been discharged with no known cognitive or physical impairments. There is also no clinical reason to believe this will happen again, nor shorten my life expectancy as I continue to care for my two daughters, ages 7 & 8.
This event has served to bring much into focus for me physically, spiritually and professionally. While my full recovery is expected and already underway, it will take time and patience. My very capable team has been loyal by my side to keep business operating without a hitch which is a difficult task when the sole owner/operator is completely out of pocket and unreachable for weeks. I extend enormous gratitude to Christine Z. on the Admin desk and recently promoted Laura B. who has been dropped into a new role supporting the field teams as a solo act.
One clarity that this experience has brought me is the healing power of community, and so I welcome you to join us. When I set out to create Peak City Puppy it was with full intention to create a different kind of pet care company. One where each client felt uniquely cared for and your pets became like family. I promise you that when we learn of a pets’ passing, we feel it deeply. When we hear of a customer getting married or celebrating a baby, we rejoice. So too, when one of us is suffering, we want to be there. Thank you for being one source of support I have depended on through the early fearful days of COVID, the energy of the Recovery campaign and now this, a time for us to press pause on some of our plans, but not stop our forward momentum.
In the days ahead, I will detail further our plans for the fall and acknowledge those whose timelines had to get pushed a bit in my absence. But what you will hear is another firm statement that I am in this for the long-game and neither COVID, nor this health scare will deter us from continuing to evolve as this changing world demands us to. We hope to be there for you and your pets for years to come and I look forward to celebrating alongside you as well as offering support when it is needed.
Thank you Peak City Puppy, family.
From my very grateful heart,
Lesley White
Bend & Sway is my personal blog where I chronicled the first days in the hospital. I hope to continue sharing the lessons learned from this experience and how I will seek to make meaning of this one precious life. “Waking Up in the ICU”
