By Mary Kate, 10 yrs old
One fine day, a little girl and her parents went to her future
college, Texas A&M University. The college of Veterinary
Medicine was hosting an open house.The little girl's name was Mary Kate. She had wonderful curly blonde hair, beautiful brown eyes, and tan skin. She was one part Mexican and two parts German. When she went to family reunions, she was the only white Mexican. She had a terrific mom and dad. They loved her a lot.
The day of open house, Mary Kate saw tons of really interesting things. She watched an actual surgery being performed and walked through the large and small animal clinics. She watched demonstrations by police and search dogs, show dogs, and Frisbee dogs! It was so much fun!
Then as she and her parents were walking down one of the hallways, Mary Kate saw a sign that said “Teddy Bear Surgery Here”. That sounded fun to her, but she didn't have a teddy bear.
About that time, she saw boxes filled with teddy bears people had donated. She suddenly saw a white teddy bear with one button eye and a cute red and white checkered dress with a cute kitty on it. Mary Kate knew this was the bear for her, so she picked her up out of the box.
In line Mary Kate gave her name to a nice girl who was a student at the school. Mary Kate got her nametag and entered the pre-operation room. Another nice girl helped her get into her surgery clothes which they call “scrubs”. Fifteen minutes later, Mary Kate was called into a small surgery room. Waiting inside was a Vet student named Michelle Noy. She was going to perform the surgery on the bear. She asked what the bear's name was and Mary Kate thought for a minute. “Rosy,” she replied. Next Michelle pointed out all of the supplies. Buttons, felt hearts, animal wrap for broken leg and special needles and thread, all needed to perform teddy bear surgery.
Mary Kate was going to be the assistant. First she picked out
Rosy's new eye, a shiny black one to match the other. Then
Michelle handed Mary Kate a special mask with a tube attached to
help Rosy sleep through the procedure. She didn't want her to
feel a thing! Next Michelle sewed on the button and let Mary cut
the thread with surgical scissors. Then they wrapped up Rosy's
leg because it was broken. Mary Kate's dad took lots of pictures
and her mother watched the whole thing. Mary Kate got a certificate of achievement in teddy bear surgery. She proudly held her certificate while her dad took a picture of her and Dr. Michelle. Mary Kate and her parents thanked the Vet student and left the room.
Outside, Mary Kate took off her scrubs, but she got to keep the surgical mask and cap. She was so happy! She had so much fun at the open house! Walking out of the Vet school, Mary Kate smiled while she talked about all the great things she had seen and done.
When Mary Kate got home, she started to work with her dogs more. She trained them to fetch and sit and stay. She helped care for them. Her parents knew that going to Texas A&M had helped her realize what she wanted to be. She decided to be a vet!
Today, Mary Kate is a vet, and Rosy sits in her office to remind her of where it all started. In College Station, Texas when she attended an open house where everyone was so kind that it shaped her life.