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Mory and Wanda

An Orphans Bond



The best way to describe my mom Wanda is just to simply say, she's a great gal! Smart, funny, sweet and at times almost girl-like and naïve. Which is incredible when you think about the life that was forced upon her and the fact that on February 14th of this year she celebrated her 94th birthday. My mom was imprisoned in forced labor camps during World War 2, beaten, horse whipped, had rocks thrown at her daily by the dreaded Hitler youth. She told of her attempted escapes, of her running through the forests in her bare feet. She married the love of her life, my beloved dad Walter, who was a Naval officer and the epitome of a gentleman who absolutely adored her. They met while they were in adjoining camps, my dad being a POW. They would fall in love at first sight and marry a few weeks after the end of the war.
They came to Canada, started a young family but from the beginning problems would arise. Their oldest child George was born handicapped and has spent most of his life institutionalized. After my sister Christine was born my older brother Richard was born, a beautiful brilliant child whose inner demons would contribute to him losing his life several years ago. Me, I'm just a jerk but boy do I love that lady. Am I a momma's boy? That and then some!! But I am a strong self sufficient man ho has had some successes in his life as a best selling author and sports broadcaster. In fact, I tell people during the lecture tours that accompany my book signings that if I have any endearing qualities in my life its solely because of the love and tenderness I received from my parents. Now that in itself is a shock to anyone who knows me since they would most likely agree that by most intents I am a born imbecile. But I digress. Another important chapter of my mom’s life was when as a young child her mother would die of tuberculosis and her father not knowing how to care for children would place her into an orphanage. She has told me the stories of her sad childhood, of her fears and sometime despair. She would tell me the stories about being in that orphanage in Rypin, Poland and hiding under the bed covers at night with a candle to read a Polish language “Anne of Green Gables” a few dozen times. She said never in her life could she have imagined that years later she would call Canada her home.

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Now let me fast forward the story to Dec 22, 2013 when I received a call from a great friend of mine, a beautiful petite nurse by the name of Janet O'Hara who works as a health care specialist for the government visiting native reserves. Janet informed me that her and another nurse had found a young puppy, starved, emaciated, dirty and half frozen to death hiding in the woods. She knew of our love of animals and of our loss in 2012 of our loved 20-year-old Cocker Spaniel Tara and the sudden passing of our 6-year-old Bichon Frise. Wilbur. Our remaining dog Wilbur’s brother Izzy seemed lost without his sibling and senior mother figure and didn't find much solace with our remaining pets Stash and Lalek our two beautiful cats aged 18 and 16 respectively. When I told my mom that there was a little orphan that needed our help, the first thing she did was tear up, call me a big lummox (in Polish, of course) and ask why the baby wasn’t here with us already. It was two days later that the little bundle of grey fur was handed over to us my our angel Janet and her brother Mike (Bucky) at Toronto Airport where the new member of the Zawadzki family had just flown 1,500 miles to be with us. Dirty ,wet, hair matted with ribs sticking out of his hungry little body, my mom took him in her arms held him close and whispered in his little tired ear that she understood what he had been through, that she was an orphan too. They looked at each other and the bond that they made at that moment was for life. It now almost three months later and Mory Zawadzki is just great. Has put on three pounds, which considering he's a Yorkie Poo, is amazing. His health is great,his demeanor is friendly and mischievous. He constantly walks around with one of my Nike's in his teeth, which of course is made even more funnier since I take a 17 and a half size shoe. But there are times when our little guy is on my mom’s lap and they lovingly cuddle up to each other and it is just totally apparent the the two have a certain bond that transcends any parameters of species, and you can tell that they share a special understanding, a bond that only they through their life struggles can understand.. It truly is a good life!


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Edward Zawadzki -- Bio and Archives

It is with a heavy heart that I write tonight that sportscaster, ‘King of Fight’ Eddie Zawadzki is gone.  Eddie’s sister, Christine called to tell Canada Free Press (CFP) that Eddie died this morning of a massive heart attack, age 55.

Death of sportscaster ‘King of Fight’ Eddie Zawadzki


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