Wally

Image Description: Wally the pluche yellow walibi laying in Codee’s bed, wearing her pyjamas.

When my service dog Don retired and had to get off my train, I helped him pack his things. He had many toys. He was addicted to the tennis ball and fond of stuffed animals. These are what mostly filled his toy box. So packing was done in no time.

He was super careful with his stuffed animals. Each stuffed animal had a name and the special thing was that he recognized the names. Yes… really. When I asked him to get Happy. He picked up a brown animal that had a big smile. If I asked “Where is Dino” (Don responded best to me when I spoke to him in English), he came over with a blue dinosaur. Shaun was his sheep, Bluey a blue bear and Flappie… well, uhm… just google the song.

In 2018 on Liberation Day, Don got the morning off. He was allowed to chill at home on the couch while my caregiver Jessica and I went to the flea market. When I saw a plush yellow walibi with a big fat head, I immediately knew I had to take it for Don. Only Walibi was a very long name for that thing. If Don would learn to recognize its name, I’d have to shorten it a bit. So Walibi became Wally.

Don was delighted with it and carried Wally with him throughout the day wherever he went in the house. So glad he was, so careful too. Wally became the big pillow that Don used to sleep with in his basket at night. It was true love.

When packing, the stuffed animals went into the moving box one by one, but when it was Wally’s turn, Don put him on my lap. I took this as a sign that Don just knew something was up. He wanted to comfort me, so with Don’s approval I decide to keep Wally for myself. What an honor!

The big yellow walibi with his big fat head, lies on my bed next to my pillow. I sleep next to him at night, during the day he watches over my room and when I’m sick, he lies where I lie. Even if that is downstairs in the lazy chair. Don has been away from me for almost 2 years and I miss him dearly. Every day over and over again, but Wally gives me comfort. I may not be a kid, but I’m attached to Wally.

He is not only my great friend but has also become good friends with some of the nurses and together they play tricks that give me a big smile.

He doesn’t watch over my room every day these days. Sometimes I come up and find him with his head on my pillow, tucked under my blanket. Now and then he cuddles with a few other stuffed animals. Once he hid completely under my blanket, I even once saw him cuddling with one of the nurses. That’s what you get when your attention is elsewhere. Then you suddenly turn around and you see the yellow traitor in the arms of someone else.

One day I was looking for my pajamas. I wanted to do some laundry and thought the pajamas should go in the wash too, so I went to my room to get them. I immediately saw that Wally was sleeping in my bed. I gently lifted my pillow and reached underneath for the pajamas. It’s always there when I’m not wearing it, but not today. Hmmzz, maybe the nurse realized I was going to do laundry, she would have already put it in the laundry basket. Lid open… no pajamas. Then in the bathroom? Did we leave it there?… uh… nope! In the barrel where the dirty towels go? I’ve found other things there in the past… a pair of blue rubber gloves, an empty baxter bag, papers from the inco material… yes, the barrel looks a lot like a trash can. But not a laundry basket, so no pyjamas.

Where the heck are my pajamas? It really needs to go in the wash!

I went back to my bedroom. With my hands on my hips, I looked at Wally and then at the blanket he was snuggled under. He was tucked in up to his neck. I thought that was weird. Normally he only wants to be tucked up to his chest. He doesn’t like to lay with his arms underneath. I decided to pull back the blanket to help him free his arms…

“Wally! Why are you wearing my pajamas?

I couldn’t help but laugh. I really don’t know who’s crazier. Me because I talk to Wally like he’s human, or the nurse because she treats him that way and even helps him put on my pajamas.

Apparently Wally also needed care that day. Help to put on pajamas and get into to bed. I just hope he wasn’t a difficult client. In any case, his big head is a challenge. I learned that you can’t take off his… uh… my pajamas in the same way the sisters do when helping me. His head doesn’t fit, but his legs do. So down with the pajamas and off you go, into the laundry.

Wally may not be able to cuddle with Don at night, but he can cuddle with me and now that he and the nurses are friends, he has plenty of adventures.

To me he is the most important stuffed animal I own and it is 100% clear that the nurses more than fully understand this.