…And They Call It Puppy Love

He doesn’t mean to, but it happens. That's why it's called an accident. Sometimes it can't be helped. He’s embarrassed. He feels humiliated. He goes into a submissive state. He cringes his body, lowers his head and looks up with those big brown eyes. They are naturally watery. It often appears like he is crying as a single salty teardrop rolls toward a cold nose. He leaves out a small whimper, followed by a slight sigh. He waits for his scolding, but the scolding doesn’t come. He wet his bed. Again. That makes twice now this week. But just look at him. How can I possibly get angry? It’s his “I’m sorry” face. He shows it and I forgive. I forget. I cave.

He keeps me up past midnight biting my socks. My goal is to play with him to the point of puppy exhaustion. It’s then that he will collapse and the bedtime ritual begins. I finally wear him out. I look down to find a soft furry warm body lying palsied. A heavy head rests on my left foot. Induced in a deep sleep, the snoring begins. Now is the time I quietly scoop him up in my arms and carry him upstairs to be tucked into his bed. It’s what I imagine fatherhood must be like. It’s a small taste of it and I think I’ll enjoy it…minus the bed wetting of course.

It’s 2AM and he cries out. He needs to pee. Outside he goes to relieve himself. I attempt to tuck him back in bed, but he seems restless. For 20 minutes, he struggles to remain silent before crying out once more. Groggy and feeling irritated, I roll out of bed again and take him outside thinking he has to go #2. He sits in the backyard gazing up at me with a look that matches my exhausted expression. “Dude, poop. Do something. Please.” I don’t think he knows what I’m saying. So back to bed we go. Another wakeup call around 4AM wanting a drink of water and a final wakeup call around 5AM to let me know he wet his bed. Gee, could of it been the 4AM drink of water that caused the hour later bed wetting incident? Or should you of just peed a second time when we were outside for the poop mission that failed?

This time he doesn’t want to go back to sleep, despite the fact I was on my hands and knees cleaning his bed. The smell of urine is replaced by that fresh Downey scent. New blankets, a couple pats and 2 kisses later…and he still won’t go back in his crate! I know what I need to do. A good Dad always knows what it takes to sooth his young one. He likes his wrinkles rubbed. I take him on my lap, cuddle him up and work my magic. He goes into a trance when you moosh together his chubby cheeks. The brown eyes shut. The head gets heavy. Just a few minutes into the massage and he’s out like a light. Works everytime.

So why does a housebroken puppy wet his bed? I have a few theories, but I’m not completely sure. I just know that I have a lot of laundry to do now. I think my puppy needs rubber sheets. And I need more sleep. For such a little guy, he sure packs a lot of liquid! I’m looking on the bright side though. He will never shit his pants. Dogs don’t wear pants – duh. And even if he pissed and crapped himself this very second, I wouldn’t trade him in for the world. He’s my best buddy. My puppy. And I’m in love.

Monstrous Muscle

These are real pictures of real muscle. They are not Photoshop fakes. They are not the product of excessive steroid use or other performance enhancers. They are the real deal. A real medical condition that affects both humans (including children) and animals called Myostatin Deficiency. The genetic mutation is a deficiency in myostatin, which is a growth factor that limits muscle tissue growth. Without myostatin, body muscle can grow to monstrous proportions!

You may have seen or heard about the Whippet dog named Wendy with the rare genetic mutation. Her unusual monstrous muscle physic that has led to her being called the Arnold Schwarzenegger of dogs. Some professional body builders, such as Flex Wheeler and Ronnie Coleman, are said to “suffer” from this as well.

Interested in seeing more muscle bound freaks? (I use the word “freak” in the most loving way.) Check out this photo gallery full of people and animals with Myostatin Deficiency.

Cheap web host services offered by different dedicated server hosting companies also offer the additional web services like domain names, seo services and web site design. It is better to obtain the dedicated server hosting instead of cheap hosting.

Google Cologne, Ahh The Scent Of Geek

Can’t get girls? Well it’s because you don’t smell like a geek! From the makers of the #1 search engine, comes the soon-to-be #1 cologne. Introducing “Google Eau de Toilette for Men”, the scent of today’s modern geek. Imagine tons of scantily clad busty babes, once only accessible to geeks via a keystroke, now eating out of the palm of your hand! A little dab will do ya. Just splash some on your puny body and hold on tight! Women will race to you and ravage your entire being like lions in heat! Of course, results may vary.

So if the constant pang of rejection is starting to takes its toll and you need a hand, look no further than Google Eau de Toilette. Get your bottle now! That is if you can find any. (The jury is still out as to whether or not this is a real product.)

I Had A Dream About You Last Night

We join this e-mail already in progress…

“Anyway, I had a dream about you last night. Well, actually you looked like our mailman (red hair, freckles) but for some reason, I identified it as you. You were driving down my street in your metallic salmon-colored Porsche and I flagged you down. And then you followed my friend and I to this house I've never been to. You were wearing a Penn State t-shirt trimmed in lace. (Not a good look, by the way. In case you have a lace-trimmed psu shirt.) I do remember cuddling with you at some point. You're pretty cozy. ;) But I don't think anything else happened - probably because you looked like the red-haired mailman. Perhaps the reality is better than that dream.”

I got the ok to post this, but I’m not going to identify who sent me this e-mail over the weekend. I don’t have the slightest idea why she would have dreamed about me. And in such a bizarre fashion? I don’t own a Porsche. Porsches are probably my least favorite sports car. Now even if I did own one, who in their right mind would pick salmon paint on a Porsche or any other salmon-colored car for that matter? When I read her e-mail, I actually had to think what the color salmon looked like. Does that make me dumb? Or maybe that just makes me not gay. Girls always have these fancy names for various color shades that exist in the world. I think nail polish and lipstick may be to blame for this. It turns out that salmon is a pinkish color, like a salmon fish. That makes sense, but me driving a pink car? If this was my dream, it would have been a nightmare! Would it sound manlier if it was a peach Porsche or flesh-colored Porsche?

Although nothing says “stud” like a t-shirt trimmed in lace. Now I do have a Penn State shirt. I have a few actually since I graduated from there, but one trimmed in lace? That I don’t think I have. Unless I have it and it stored next to my sparkly belly shirt. I like my belly shirt because not only does it show my belly, but its low cut enough to showcase my moobs (moobs = man boobs). You know how I enjoy dousing my twin peaks with glitter before I go out clubbing and cruising. And now you have me totally worried that my red mailman hair clashes with my pink Porsche! Speaking of mailmen, I have to ask, was I sporting the short shorts and black crew socks pulled up to my knees as well? Now THAT is a sexy look!

I like to think of myself as a cuddly guy. So I thank you for saying that I’m pretty cozy. Although I can understand how it didn’t go past the couch cuddling due to my dress attire. I wouldn’t makeout with a dude layered in lace either. Next time though, it might be safer to dream of me naked, minus the fire crotch since I’m not a redhead. Then let me know if it goes anywhere from there. Just remember though, if you ever see me driving by in my pink Porsche and lace tee, holla at your boy.

PPMD Day 4: That's a Wrap

PPMD Day 4: That's a Wrap

Part 4 of Winheld's World coverage of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy’s (PPMD) 2007 Annual Conference, July 12-15, in Philadelphia.

I couldn't wait to get back to the hotel for brunch this morning. Maybe it was because I wanted one last chance to trade war stories with my new friends. Maybe it's that Pat Furlong, PPMD founding president is a superb motivator (as has been noted by at least one other person). Or maybe I was just really hungry. Whatever the reason, I managed to drag myself out of bed at 7:30 a.m. -- practically unheard of for me! My father, who accompanied me today, said that now that I have demonstrated that I can get up so early, I have no excuse for usually getting up so late. So I might never live this one down.

But that's okay because today -- and the last three days, for that matter -- were well worth the early wake-up call. All I've ever wanted to do in my life is to make a difference and that's what PPMD and each and every one of the 480-some people from 14 countries who attended this year's conference are all about: making a difference. It's exciting to be a part of something like that.

Whether we are parents, patients, doctors, researchers, nurses, researchers, etc., we're not about to stand idly by and wait for something to happen. As my father said to me afterward, everyone involved in PPMD seem to have adopted the 1960s philosophy of "power to the people."

With such resolve, it's only a matter of time until the goal is achieved...

PPMD Day 3: My Turn

PPMD Day 3: My Turn

Part 3 of Winheld's World coverage of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy’s (PPMD) 2007 Annual Conference, July 12-15, in Philadelphia.

When your child receives a diagnosis of Duchenne's, you feel desperate and want a solution to the problem NOW, not five, 10 years down the road. I know that's how my parents felt nearly 25 years ago. Nevertheless, I was a bit disturbed when one parent raised the question of why, if a drug shows promise very early on (say after as little as 28 days), parents shouldn't be able to give that drug to their children.

"Why should our children have to wait 10 years, when they're already in wheelchairs, to start a treatment when we could have already had them on it and prevented that from happening? What kind of life are we giving them?" was his basic argument.

I understand where the guy was coming from. Everyone wants a cure, but taking dangerous shortcuts is not the answer. As one doctor said in response, "I don't want to give your 6-year-old a drug that's going to kill him."

Now, it's also true that when/if a treatment becomes available, there are going to be risks and parents are going to have to make decisions, but at least there will have been years of study so such risks can be minimized.

I'm 29 and we all know the life expectancy of someone with DMD, but you don't see me jumping up and down (well, I wouldn't be able to anyway!) desperate for a cure. The reality is that it's probably not coming for me. Even so, I've been fortunate to live in this day and age. The previous generation of kids with the disease didn't get spinal fusion, they didn't get trachs or g-tubes, they didn't get ventilators or defibrillators.

If the next generation is 15 or 16 years old and in wheelchairs when a cure is found that will stop the respiratory and cardiac aspects of the disease, but does not reverse the damage that's already been done, that would be great. If all you have to deal with in life is being in a wheelchair, it's hardly the end of the world. We live in a world that is growing more accessible every day.

In a breakout session in the afternoon, Mary-Lou Weisman, author of Intensive Care: A Family Love Story, about her son Peter, who had Duchenne's, spoke about ways of dealing with social isolation that those with the disease often face. She spoke of various organizations/activities in which parents can involve their boys. I certainly agreed with that, but for me, it wasn't so much the organized activities, but rather the impromptu gatherings at friends' houses during my teenage years that I really missed. I suggested that parents consider purchasing portable ramps so that their children can get into their friends' homes.

The next breakout session featured yours truly, as part of an expert panel on adults with Duchenne/Becker, moderated by Pat Moeschen (right). Also on the panel were (from left), Jared Aronson, Jason Abramowitz, me; and Evan Stutman (back, right). We spoke about our various occupations and took questions. Someone asked how we learned about our diagnosis and whether we were scared about it. Someone else asked about how we reacted to the transition to a wheelchair. And then, so as not to embarrass anyone in the room, we had a question about sex! Unfortunately, time was up, so we dodged a bullet on that one. My only regret is that we didn't have more time for questions. Maybe next year.

Later in the evening, I returned to the hotel for the lavish Conference Dinner. Some nice speeches were given and some video clips were shown. But what was most interesting to me was the people at each table and their dedication. Just look the distance many in attendance traveled to be there. At my table alone, we had a researcher from Australia and a couple with sons with DMD from the Yukon Territory.

I was about to leave -- until I saw the incredible dessert that was being served. Let me see -- chocolate or traffic? Traffic or chocolate? Yeah, I think I made the right call!

PPMD Day 2: Getting to Know You

PPMD Day 2: Getting to Know You

Part 2 of Winheld's World coverage of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy’s (PPMD) 2007 Annual Conference, July 12-15, in Philadelphia.

A conference like this serves as a wonderful networking opportunity within the Duchenne's "community" -- doctors, researchers, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, genetic counselors, government officials, parents, patients; the list goes on and on. I met so many people today just outside of the conference today that I barely had five minutes to listen to any of the presentations inside!

Among those that I met today were: a 34-year-old middle school music teacher with Becker muscular dystrophy from New Hampshire and his mother; the parents of a young son with Duchenne's from Massachusetts who started a research foundation called Charley's Fund; a doctor from Pittsburgh; the coordinators of a project on Duchenne interventions from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, and a researcher from as far away as the University of Western Australia. I even met two people from Columbia University who already knew me from my TV appearance back in February!

I got to hear about everyone's various Duchenne-related activities. I, on the other hand, charmed everyone with my sparkling personality and smashing good looks (well, at least the first part was true) and regaled them the story of my near-death experience on the train yesterday.

It made for a hilarious story today. Let me assure you that I didn't find it so funny yesterday. I had no problems today, but tomorrow is a new day, so cross your fingers for me...