“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
After a moment of consideration, the baton– twirling nine year old girl decided, I think I’ll be a veterinarian or a lawyer. After a couple of days of further consideration, she told her Mom, “I think I’ll be a veterinarian. I’m not a very good liar….” Thus, the crossroads of her life was approached and her path was determined.
And, determined she was! Skipping by all of the patronizing, “Wouldn’t you like to be a teacher” and the nay-saying, “It’s harder to get into Vet School than Medical school” commentary, she found herself at the door of Colorado State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine.
Along the years, she’d raised a few cats, gerbils, desert tortoises; rescued some geckos and ground squirrels; worked with several thousand rodents and rabbits, and even a few baboons! It was sealed, from the time she was 15, when she got her first job at Broadway Animal Hospital, that this was the profession for her. It sang to her heart. Through all of the veterinary assistant positions from Tucson to New York, she followed that music as it nurtured her desire to the heal the bodies of animals and the heart and minds of their owners.
Veterinary School was just a way for her to realize that conviction. Here, she Learned, not just to pass the next test. Here, she Learned for Life.
After Veterinary School, she and her best cat friend, Coy, moved to Yuma. The experience was good, but too far from Home. She moved back to Tucson after 2 years. She grew her skills as doctor, dentist, surgeon, grief counselor and family support assistant as she worked at her favorite hobby every day.
Love from another port also fell into her world upon returning to Tucson when she reconnected with her high school friend, Tom. The boy she had so admired in High School had grown up to be “tall, yet kind”. After a 4 year romance, he proposed marriage 50 feet underwater in the Bahamas! (How could she say no to a diamond on a reef and an expectant young man holding a dive slate that said “Please”?)
Together, she and Tom had adventures in Italy and scuba diving the Caribbean. They took up home brewing , producing a world class Christmas Ale; discovered Cowboy Action Shooting, dressing up like old West cowboys; and watched Star Trek-Next Gen endlessly. They got married amid candles, brooms, kilts and broken glasses in 1997 (embracing multi-cultural wedding traditions that had personal meaning to them). After a couple years, Dr. Bohnke and her husband decided to embark on one of “Life’s Greatest Adventures”: having a child! Celyn, their son, has also grown up to be “tall-yet kind”. He is the light of his parents’ eyes and promises to be one of the future’s great lawyers.
Family has always been one of the most important forces in Dr. Bohnke’s life. Her Mom and Dad always told her that “you can do anything you put your mind to.” So, she did! Her husband and his family have been ever supportive. Her beloved family pets have always helped her find peace . Her family of patients and their people have given her the chance to fulfill her purpose in life— to help and heal.
Dr. Bohnke invites you and your pets to become a part of her Cimarron Animal Hospital Family— growing together – here for each other.
