In Praise of Andy's Ballot

[benburch]

The one thing that brought joy to our Andy in the last days of his life was his little dog, Ballot.

Ballot was a gift to Andy from a friend who bred dogs, and, as anybody who has had a dog will tell you, it is very hard to be depressed when cuddling a puppy.

Here is what Andy wrote for the site we ran at that time that was called AndyThanksYou.com (its been down for a few months now, but I really should put it back online with my new hosting);

Dear Friends, I want to take this opportuinty to thank you all so very much. I tried to keep up with thank you notes to each and everyone of you but it became impossible for me to do. I am trully humbled by the generous support you all showed me and I cannot begin to express my gratitude adequately. Please know that your contribution along with many others ensured I got the surgery I needed that in all likelyhood will save my life. I am home now recuperating and will begin Chemo and Radiation therapy in late june. Until that time I am spending my days catching up on reading...tending my garden when my strength allows and enjoying the company of my partner Termite and the new addition to our family "ballot". Ballot is a rat terrier given to me for my chemo and radiation therapy time. He is such a bundle of joy and he demands I get out of bed at least 4 times a day to walk him. That alone makes him worth his weight in gold.

I am looking forward to being done with all the medical therapies and resuming my life as a voting rights activist. It is where my heart is and I am anxious to be back in the fray. For now...I am taking life far slower and am taking time to smell the roses. A friend told me that up to this point in my life I had not really lived...but now that I am fighting for life I am really living. When she told me that I really did not understand what she meant...now I do. Life is precious and every moment I get to spend with family and friends is the most important moment to me. I am going to beat this thing I am coming back stronger than ever and I have you all to thank. Ok I promised I would stop when I got verklempt...I am now officially verklempt. It happens to me often now...the tears come easy both tears of joy and tears of sadness. But the tears of joy are more often than not. Thank you all again.

Andy Stephenson.

Andy chose to cling to the idea that he was going to get better, but we all knew as soon as the biopsy had been performed that he was not going to make it. The type of cancer he had was and is essentially untreatable, and the vaccine trial (which was the primary reason for him wanting to be operated on at Johns Hopkins) did not address this sort of pancratic cancer.

I'm just so happy that this little dog could keep him company in the last days;

[BrklynLiberal]

1. No doubt that Ballot brought lots of joy to Andy's life during the days

they shared. That is one of the great things about dogs.

My friend's puppy sleeping with her husband

[WilliamPitt]

2. What did the producer say?

[benburch]

4. Lots of questons which I answered best I could.

And I'm helping get together information for her.

Thanks for putting me on to her, Will.

-Ben

[LisaM]

3. I met Ballot at the service and he was adorable

He was a true gift.

[VelmaD]

5. I got to meet Ballot...

me and Ballot and Ted had lunch together before I left Seattle after Andy's memorial service. Ted and I were both basket cases...but Ballot was there to pet and play with and love on and that helped. He's a great puppy. :) I know he made Andy smile.

[havocmom]

6. Thanks, Ben. A lot of us needed that.

Still miss him. Can't help but muse that his spirit is watching out for the nation still... and laughing at the demise of all the junta scams.

Here's something to consider to honor Andy and his pal Ballot:

If any of you DUers have a special, helpful cat or dog, think about putting it to work as a regular volunteer visitor in a health care facility, hospital, nursing home setting. Lots of places welcome well behaved critters because they know how much it helps the healing or end of life process.

If your pet is a good candidate for such part time work, you and your pet can find a lot of fulfillment in doing some good for others. Your pet will know it is important and your community will be richer for a little of your time. Look into the possibilities in your area.

They can give so much love and they do seem to enjoy knowing they help.

Look into the possibilities.

[benburch]

8. You are so welcome.

In fact, my wife (a professional social worker) is taking training now in animal assisted therapy, and we have our dachshund enrolled in training classes for therapy dogs!

[havocmom]

26. That's so great!

The dog will love it. I had an old cat who did some social work with the elderly ;) She enjoyed it and she sure got people to come out of their shells and saddness.

[understandinglife]

7. Pleased to give this vote # 5.

Peace.

[peacebuzzard]

9. I wish I could have met Andy.

[benburch]

10. I do too.

We talked on the phone a lot the last few weeks of his life.

[fooj]

11. I wish I has a scanner...

I've got a great picture of Ballot all wrapped up in Christmas paper. Too funny!!!!!!

I miss Andy something awful. I take great comfort in believing that his spirit guides us...

Peace.:hug:

[benburch]

12. Copy it at the Walgreens and send me a copy?

My postal address is on the donations page white rose.

I'll scan it for everybody.

[EFerrari]

14. Dear, dear fooj -- this one?

[fooj]

16. That's it!

:toast:

[Stephanie]

19. lol - I should read the thread before I post

:hi:

[EFerrari]

32. Whackamole. Lol

:hi:

[janx]

27. LOOK AT HIS EYES!

:rofl:

[troubleinwinter]

30. LOOK AT HIS OUTFIT!

[EFerrari]

31. clear the runway!

:rofl:

[janx]

35. Somebody even made little boots for him!

Note front paws!

[mopinko]

37. how the hell did they get him to hold still for that????

i have 3 rats, and even the one who is not completely bonkers would not sit still for half of that!!

[EFerrari]

38. They've never met Termite!

:)

[katinmn]

41. OMG! That's sooooooooooo adorable!

I've never seen anything like it.
:rofl:

[EFerrari]

42. It's the best thing ever. Ever.

:rofl:

[katinmn]

44. Hee hee. Just went to save it and noticed the title

FancyPaperBallot.
:)

[EFerrari]

45. Termite. He has the best sense of humor.

:hug:

[katinmn]

46. ..'

:hug:

[Stephanie]

18. that was Ted's christmas card - I think sfexpat has a picture

maybe she will post it

[lonestarnot]

13. ahhhhhhh Ballot, what an appropriate name for an Andy dog.

[bahrbearian]

15. I've breed Rat Terriers for a few years now in King County

Ballot looks like a "Poochville" Pup, You wouldn't be able to tell me would ya?

[benburch]

21. No, I don't know.

Sorry!

[Stephanie]

17. I didn't know he wasn't going to get better

I spoke to everyone that night after the surgery but I didn't realize the news was that he wouldn't get better. I thought he would get chemo and be okay. He had been up to visit me the week before the (rescheduled) surgery. He was in pain and tired very easily and could not walk more than a block or so, but after he came out of the surgery alive I thought he would be okay. Maybe I just heard what I wanted to hear.

[benburch]

22. The biopsy wasn't done yet by then.

Takes a few days for the slides to get cut, stained, and read.

[Stephanie]

24. oh

:cry:

[benburch]

58. Thats how cancer surgery works.

They remove the mass and then send it off to biopsy. They never know on the day of the surgery just what they are dealing with though often they can guess from the color or the vascularization what sort it is. In Andy's case they didn't need to do a biopsy separately from the surgery because the imaging showed an obvious mass that was going to need to be "Whippled" out of there. They usually do not want to cut an intact mass just for a biopsy because that can spread it, and he had all of the signs and symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer.

[EFerrari]

60. It had spread to his lymphatic system. They told me

that they "took care of that" but there is no taking care of that.

[benburch]

61. Had the surgery been done on time...

that is, had the freepers NOT interfered, the spread to the lymphatic system might not yet have occurred.

[EFerrari]

62. Yes, had Bev Harris not been the c word and had the

Freeps not interfered, the outcome might have been different.

[benburch]

63. Still, with that sort of cancer...

but he would probably have lived longer.

[EFerrari]

64. How will we ever know? Andy had to wrestle with that grifter

and then with the healthcare system.

First, Harris delayed his care for a good two months. She still owes him his last check, if you can fucking believe that.

Then, those dear compassionate conservatives delayed his care both at Hopkins and at home.

They killed him, between them, in denying him appropriate and timely care.

[benburch]

65. And they still think he didn't have cancer!

And they still think that scammed us!

Some of them don't even believe he is dead. Probably because they would then need to conclude they had helped kill him.

[EFerrari]

66. Yep. They live in a world where a friend wouldn't give you

a puppy.

In a world where a community wouldn't come to your aid.

I think they don't read the Bible enough. :evilgrin:

[benburch]

67. If Jesus Christ came to their door asking for help...

they would turn him away, and tell their wife about the Jewish beggar who had the temerity to bother their football game.

[EFerrari]

68. Who do you have to be to fuck with a man's cancer treatment?

And how do you live with yourself after that?

[benburch]

69. These are the same sort of people the Nazi SS got to run the "showers".

And their elaborate denials of Andy's illness are dim echoes of the elaborate denials of the Holocaust. This type always functions that way.

[EFerrari]

70. Andy is gone and they're still denying his illness.

I don't think Ginko can fix that kind of stupidity.

[bettyellen]

51. andy just ignored those biopsy results because he wanted to keep fighting

and so that's what he did. he ignored the prognosis, because it might have discouraged him, and he wasn't having that. he truly believed the worst was past him, because he hated being cut open. and he was so relieved that part was over.
i went along with it so completely, he had me believing he would beat it, too.
part of me knew better, but the end was such a big shock.

[EFerrari]

52. I knew when Termite reported the results to me.

But a part of me wouldn't know -- wouldn't.

Andy never stopped fighting for anything he loved. His life, his family, for us. How could any of us give up when he was out there, slugging. :hug:

We were so lucky to have him for a moment.

[bettyellen]

55. when i saw andy after the surgery, he made me believe it was going to be

okay somehow. even though i knew the facts said otherwise. i guess we all just needed to believe that.
:hug:

[benburch]

59. That was his only chance at that point.

Sometimes mind over matter works.

And the freepers did their level best to stress him out and prevent that from occurring.

I really believe they took away his only chance at living.

[SeattleGirl]

20. Ben, your post made me smile and cry at the same time

I didn't meet Andy, but I did go to his memorial service and met Ballot and Ted. I got to spend a little time talking to Ted and petting Ballot. Andy was so fortunate to have two such loving beings in his life.

[troubleinwinter]

23. Well, y'all know my sig picture.

I made it when Andy was ill, from that very photo Ben posted, when a few of us got together to design 'get well' cards for him.

After Andy passed, I had a conversation with Ted and told him that when I had sent the graphic, I told Andy he needed to get two cats and name one "Voter", and the other, "Verified". Then he needed to train Ballot to fetch the newspaper from the driveway. That way, each morning, Andy could stand on the porch and loudly call, "Voter! Verified! Paper, Ballot!" so the neighbors would get the message.

Ted said he recalled walking into the room where Andy was on the computer, and Andy was laughing out loud. Ted asked what?... and Andy's been reading that silly story.

Ted then asked if I would send the graphic of little ballot so that he could print it out and have it on the wall.

The 'Paper Ballot' graphic is made of the Constitution, BTW.

Thanks, Ben, for the post!

[troubleinwinter]

25. Andy's Ballot

[janx]

28. He's beautiful.

And that's a great shot.

[troubleinwinter]

29. I think he was perhaps about 8 months there. Still a puppy.

[EFerrari]

33. Termite was taking care of Andy and this puppy at the same time.

And probably, the rest of us, too.

[janx]

36. Yes, he looks young in the pic.

His legs were busy growing at that point, no? ;-)

[sinkingfeeling]

72. That's a great picture!

[katinmn]

47. Cute story.

And your graphic is wonderful. Glad Andy got to see it and chuckled at your story. :)

[EFerrari]

57. This was and is the best memorial to Andy.

You did good. :)

[Snotcicles]

34. In memory of Andy all I can say is VOTER VERIFIED PAPER BALLOTS.

[EFerrari]

39. Sing it!

:)

[bleever]

40. I remember that letter from Andy, and rereading it and seeing pics

of Ballot gives me tears of pride and warmth now, and a sense that Andy's ripples have done him proud.

:hug:

[EFerrari]

43. Here's one:

[FogerRox]

48. ah jeese >snif

[EFerrari]

50. I know. "As pretty as you are, you know you coulda been a flower."

:cry:

[SeattleGirl]

49. Oh, that is so sweet!

[bettyellen]

53. i love the pic beth, thanks...

it's still so hard to believe. we all had so much hope. :cry:

[EFerrari]

54. I know.

:hug:

[suffragette]

74. Andy was that rare light against the darkness

and, my, how beautifully he did shine.
Just all too briefly.
:cry:

[EFerrari]

56. "The way you swept me off my feet"

Thank you, DU.

I hope this story gets told. But it doesn't really matter in a way, because we were there and we know what went down.

You stood up for Andy and that was beautiful.

:grouphug:

[benburch]

71. Whether or not.

Doesn't matter at all.

[Vadem]

73. Thanks, Ben--here I am, crying again, for Andy.... Of all the..

articles and emails that I saved in my friends and family folder about Andy, I must post our brilliant Symbolman's memorial to Andy to remind us again of his tirelessness on getting rid of the corrupt DREs and bringing back voter verified paper ballots, hand counted:

http://web.takebackthemedia.com/geeklog/public_html/staticpages/index.php?page=20050710095608538

I cry every time... :cry:

Rest well, Andy! We all miss you so much.

[benburch]

75. Thanks for posting that! nt