More than one man has mentioned to me that he does not go for "cat women." Does that mean that if a woman has a cat, there is something less desireable about her? Does it say something about her personality if she chooses a feline housemate?

On posing that challenge, these men then qualify their statement and explain that a "cat woman" is a woman with multiple cats. Ahhh.

At least three of my closest female friends have two or more cats. None of them is "crazy," so far as I can tell. All three are successful. All three are smart, attractive, well-groomed women. So what is it?

Hair today, gone tomorrow?

Of course it's a turn-off to enter a date's apartment to find pet hair everywhere. And what about the pet smell? Eau de litter box is not anyone's favorite scent.

But those issues are a matter of housekeeping.

One friend has three cats and two dogs in her two-bedroom place. Despite the large number of animals, seldom is there a stray hair on chair or carpet. I asked her about the dander question, and she tells me her dogs shed more than do her cats. She explains her rigorous vaccuuming schedule and frequent litter emptying rituals.

Whatever she does, it works. If you did not see the animals, you would scarcely know they are there.

Romeo and Juliet, the star-crossed lover pets of another friend, quietly occupy her large studio apartment. Aside from the litter box in her bathroom, there is little evidence of feline presence. Except, of course, the cats themselves.

Fur-Crazy?

Some argue that "cat women" are crazy. Well, women are more likely to hoard animals than are men. And the most popular animal collected by hoarders is -- you guessed it -- cats. When men hoard, they are more likely to hoard dogs, which are more conspicuous and incite intervention earlier. Hoarding of animals could be a sign of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ("OCD").  But in OCD cases, the collection of cats is a symptom, rather than the cause, of the problem.

Long ago, women were linked to cats in a positive way. Both were sensual and mysterious. Both were revered for supernatural qualities. Cats have their ability to survive a fall or to see at night; women were able to give birth. Does this psychic connection still exist? Why does it now cast a pall over the presumed mental health of the cat owner?

A conversation with my friend, Dave:

me: " So you won't date a woman who has cats."

dave: "No. I won't date a woman who has one cat. Women with cats are crazy."

me: "What do you mean 'crazy?' What is crazy about them? Have you dated many women who have cats?"

dave: "I don't know. There is just something. One of my very best female friends has two cats. And she is definitely crazy. And who wants to go to someone's place with cats crawling around everywhere? And all of that fur!"

me: "So I see you have a large sample size in drawing this conclusion. How about men who own cats?"

dave: "MEN?! If I found out a guy had a cat, I would not be friends with him."

me: "So, you ask all of the guys you meet about their pets before you become friends with them?"

dave (firmly): "None of my guy friends have cats."

An exchange with a male friend, when asked about women with cats:

"I'm not crazy about cats, but of course I would date a woman with cats -- unless she had too many of them, which would give me a hint that she was crazy. But, if she were cute, sure, I'd date her too,.."

When asked about women dating men who have cats:

"Men with cats? Interesting, just because it's different than the norm, But I might be worried about him turning gay on you,."

Another male friend weighs in:

"Women who own cats tend to have their strongest relationship with the feline. A creature who does not care about them; whose only desire is to be fed and to go mousing. A feline who treats them like shit. Who needs that?"

And his thoughts on men with cats:

"I don't know any straight men who own cats."

Conclusions?

To broaden this line of thought, people who own cats want relationships with animals who cannot return their feelings. Who are utterly selfish and want only to eat, sleep, copulate and hunt. Who leave their hair and their waste all over the place.

And men who have cats are "gay," since they want a relationship with these creatures.

And women who have cats are "crazy," since they want a relationship with these creatures.

Hmmmm....

So now I'm thinking that cats behave a lot like some of the men I know. Makes sense now that gay men would like cats, since they have romantic relationships with men. And all those crazy cat women?

You figure it out.

"The universe conspires... to help us." -P. Coehlo

Good things happen in bars sometimes.  A good thing happened to me last night while out at a SoHo bar called Pravda.  And before you all let your dirty little minds run away with you, it was not that.  I arrive early as I had shared a pre-theater meal with another group of friends.  Knowing I would be awhile at the bar, alone, I bring my brand new copy of The Zahir, Paulo Coehlo's latest novel.  

I have read two of Coehlo's books.  The Alchemist, known as a celeb favorite, is a great read.  Coehlo's plain, fairy-tale style prose is evocative and inspiring.  Eleven Minutes is written in a similar style, but the subject matter is more adult.  The second book tackles the question of sex and meaning, and is told from the perspective of a Brazilian country girl-turned Swiss prostitute.  Both books are outstanding.

Lucky me, there are two spots open at the bar.  My book and I take one spot, and Eric sits next to me.  He is a tall, stylish man with sharp features and intelligent eyes.  He notices my book.  He's read The Alchemist and we talk about the main character and how he finds his way in life with the Universe as his ally.

Eric tells me about his career path.  Clearly he is a bright man.  Undergraduate in his home state of Texas, followed by years abroad in Spain, where he earned an MBA.  Time in the Caribbean, where he worked in banking.  Another business degree earned in Arizona.   He speaks a few languages, all of them in the same animated, charismatic manner.

He's been in NYC for six years.  He works with 4XL-the For Excellence in Leadership Foundation, a non-profit group started by Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves basketball team.  It's a terrific organization which mentors and assists minority high school and college students in careers in business.  He loves his work. 

But three years ago he found his passion.  He found his camera.

At 125th and Park Avenue, a homeless man had a 1950's Kodak Brownie Hawkeye camera, which he sold to Eric for $5. Eric liked the look of the camera;  it has an Art-Deco style and a compact design.  He liked the weight of the camera in his hands.  Initially, it did not occur to Eric that the camera might work.

But does it work!  Eric's street find now helps him create works of art from everyday street scenes.  A motorcycle leans against a wall.  Dress dummies hold court at an outdoor marketplace.  A tangle of cables emerge like the head of the Medusa from a sidewalk. 

His compelling black and white photos have been on display in various locations, including the Studio Museum in Harlem.  Beginning tomorrow, his work will be on display at  Single Room Occupancy on West 53rd street.

I'll be there.

Aside from the fact that yesterday I met a cool and inspiring new friend, I came away with a sense of wonder:  There I was, thinking about Coehlo's work and about how the Universe, Fate, Providence or whatever it is conspires to help us.   And right then I meet someone who is a true example of that. 

That camera was sent to him.  And he found it.  Where is your camera?  Do you already have it?  Because it's someplace.  And when you find it, the Universe will let you know.

photos all by Eric Henderson.

click to enlarge 

He is an eight year-old boy.  Danny Davidson (not his real name) is running around at school and bumps his knee.  It hurts then, but he continues to play.  It still hurts after two days, so his aunt takes him to the doctor.

Danny lives on an Indian Reservation in the Midwest.  He is taken to see the Indian Health Services doctor, who examines him and performs X-rays of his knee.   The X-ray shows subtle changes in the bone around the knee, in the end part of the femur (thigh) bone.  Suspicious.

Three days later, Danny and his aunt are in our office at Mayo.  I am a second-year resident and am on a three-month rotation with Dr. Tom Shives, a Professor if Orthopedic Surgery and a specialist in orthopedic tumors.  Danny's leg is swollen around the knee.  It hurts when I bend his knee.  We perform more xrays , an MRI and a CT scan of the lungs. 

Danny is afraid of the MRI machine.  Many people cannot tolerate the scan, since the patient must lie perfectly still in a narrow, coffin-like tube for more than 30 minutes.  Danny and I discuss this, and wonder what would happen if someone could not fit into the tube.  We talk about how there are bigger machines and tubes used for large animals, like elephants at the Zoo, and that the Zoo might let larger people use their machines.  So Danny decides that so long as he does not smell elephant in the MRI machine, he is going to lie still and make the most of it!

Danny has telangiectatic osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer which is very aggressive.  The cancer has spread to two spots in his lung.

Years ago, the prognosis for this tumor in the presence of metastatic disease was grave.  Now, chemotherapy as an adjuvant to surgery increases survival to about 65% at five years.   Danny will undergo two rounds of chemotherapy, followed by re-staging and then surgical removal of the tumor.  After surgery, he will receive two more rounds of chemotherapy.

In addition to all of this, Danny is not able to live with his parents.  His mother and father are not married.  His father lives with another woman at the same reservation.  His mother has six children, with three different men.  She is having trouble with her bills;  no hot water, no phone service.  She is unable to care for Danny and his siblings.  So he will stay at Mayo alone for most of his treatment.

Over the course of his chemotherapy, Danny and I become friends.  I learn of his love of basketball and action movies.  I learn that he likes the shakes at McDonalds.  We continue to joke about the elephant MRI.  Whenever I see him, Danny comments on the earrings I wear.  He likes their shine and asks if they are made from real diamonds. He is very brave.

Once his therapy is finished, we re-stage his cancer.  Another MRI.  Another lung CT scan.  Good news:  the tumor has responded well to the preoperative therapy.

Surgical Treatment

Now we are faced with the problem of surgery.  The tumor must be removed with wide margins.  This means that a cuff of normal tissue must be taken with the tumor to ensure that no tendrils of cancer are left inside of Danny's leg.  The tumor had extended into the knee joint, so that would need to be sacrificed.  The options are limited:

Above Knee Amputation

Because his tumor involves the joint and the end of the femur bone, Danny would need an above-the-knee amputation, "AKA".  This option ensures removal of the tumor but compromises function significantly.  Above-the-knee amputees walk slower and use 65-70% more energy than non-amputees.   These patients have great difficulty with sporting activities.

Expandable Prosthesis

There are some knee prostheses which can "grow" with a patient.  This means that some parts of them may be accessed and can be expanded over the years so that the child will have equal limb lengths.  Danny would lose the growth centers from both his femur (thigh bone) and his tibia (shin bone).  Together, these growth centers add 1.6 centimeters of height per year in the average boy.  So, if Danny were to stop growing at age 18, the loss of these growth centers would make that leg 16 centimeters shorter (about 6.3 inches).   The prosthesis would need to be accessed at intervals in order to "grow" the leg.

While this sounds like a great option, for a child with the social situation Danny has, it is less than ideal.  This type of implant would require close follow up and likely multiple later surgeries.  OK, there is practically a guarantee that Danny would need more surgery.  Also, if Danny decides to do any type of heavy labor, the knee prosthesis may be too delicate. What at first seems a great choice may not be the best one for this particular kid.

Rotationplasty

This procedure was first described in 1950 by Van Nes.  Here, all or part of the femur bone and the proximal part of the tibia bone are removed, and the end part of the tibia, along with the foot, is rotated 180 degrees.  The end of the femur bone is attached to the end of the tibia bone in this new position, and the bones heal together as would a fracture.  The end result is a shortened leg with the foot on "backwards."   So the heel of the foot ends up  where a normal kneecap would be, and the flipped-around ankle joint is used as the knee joint. 

So instead of acting like an above-the-knee amputation ("AKA"), this surgery allows the patient to function like a below-the-knee amputee ("BKA").  A healthy person with a BKA uses about 10% more energy during activity as would a non-amputee.  Compare this with the 65-70% more energy used with and AKA, and the advantage is clear. 

Also, the rotationplasty would allow Danny to do any kind of work in the future.  The length of the operated leg would be calculated based upon Danny's growth charts and the projected final length of his other leg so that his legs would be of equal length at maturity.

The Choice

Danny and his family decide upon rotationplasty as his best option.  Even though I am no longer on rotation with Dr. Shives, I am allowed to scrub on the case.  We remove the entire tumor and turn Danny's leg around, fix the bones together with plate and screws and reattach the muscles so that the ankle will work as a knee.  His leg is placed in a splint after surgery and is immobilized until the bones heal together.

Recovery

Danny's mother and father  cannot be there on the day of the surgery.  His aunt brings him to the hospital but then needs to make the 400 mile trip home in order to go to work the next day.  So Danny and I are together again in his hospital room that evening.  We joke about the elephant MRI.  Over a chocolate shake from McDonalds, we were hopeful about Danny's being able to play basketball again in a few months.  We talk about his mother and the fact that he would be able to move back in with her once she pays her water bill.  Once he finishes his next rounds of chemotherapy.  Once his leg heals and he can wear a prosthesis. 

Cancer-Free

The last time I see Danny, he is a tall, healthy 12 year-old boy.  He has already outgrown three below-the knee prostheses and plays basketball almost every day with his friends.  He does well in school even though there are still ups and downs with his family life.   

There are no signs of his cancer.

The last time I see Danny, he gives me a pair of earrings, made by a woman on his reservation.  They're much better than any diamonds I have. 

photo: above from The New England Journal of Medicine.  The earring photo is mine.

Recently, the Saint Luke School in Brookfield, WI cancelled an American Girl charity fashion show that was to be held at the Catholic school. Proceeds from the event were earmarked for construction of a new playground and a refurbished library. The school nixed the event after learning of American Girl's support of Girls, Inc.

Girls, Inc. formerly known as The Girls Clubs of America, support programs which inspire girls to be "stong, smart and bold." Apparently, these are goals which go against the teachings of the Catholic Church. The Saint Luke School cites "acceptance of lesbianism" and "support of abortion rights" as reasons for their decision. St. Luke's pastor writes, "our integrity is not for sale."

A look at the American Girl line of dolls and products reveals a wholesome, culturally inclusive line of dolls, clothing and books. These aim to teach young girls about women from different eras and backgrounds. Also available are dolls made to resemble a particular person or recipient. The American Girl website offers a "Fun for Girls" section, which, at first blush, might be construed as pro-lesbian. Turns out it's an activity board which features quizzes and ideas for raising money and other empowering activities for girls.

The Girls Inc. website contains information about domestic violence against girls as well as encouragment of activism for Title IX, among other issues. It, too, provides internet activities for girls and young women to encourage leadership and independence. There is even a stock market game which teaches girls about investment.

Certainly the mission of Girls Inc is in line with that of American Girl. And American Girl is right to give financial support to Girls Inc. even if it is viewed by the Catholic Church as a "pro-lesbian" group.

This action by Saint Luke School essentially forces the hand of American Girl to decide which group is more worthy of its support: The Catholic Church or the "pro-lesbian" Girls, Inc. group. I thought about this question, and came up with some observations:

 

 


So it looks like Lesbians: four;   the Catholic Church: zero.  

What would the American Girl do?

Apologies for the abysmal resolution of my table.  Does anybody know how to make it work better?