Vicki Kucia

 Success with a "Pet Project"
Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly, Winter 2004
by Emily Giglierano '06

Vicki L. Kucia graduated from Tufts last May with a degree in veterinary medicine-something she never would have done if she were fully healthy.

Several years ago, Vicki was diagnosed Vicki Kuciawith a degenerative disc disease, and took a community-college class to stave off boredom during recovery from surgery. She found that she thrived in an academic environment, and earned an associate's degree. Friends and professors urged her to continue at a four-year college. Six years after finishing her MHC degree in biology, she's working for a veterinary practice in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. "I was very nervous about going on, [about] what the cost would be," she recalls. "I just stepped off a plank and had to trust that I would hit the ground safely as everyone kept telling me I would."

When she finished at Tufts, Vicki was still debating whether to teach or to practice medicine. Eventually, she decided that she could teach anytime, and should take advantage of her up-to-the-minute knowledge. She is confident that having practical experience in the field will make her a better teacher. The hands-on aspects of veterinary medicine hold a particular appeal. "You can't ask the animal what's wrong, [or] where it hurts," she says. "It's very visual, very tactile. You have to know anatomy, physiology, and a lot of medicine, and put it all together."

Another unexpected benefit from her medical problems is a better ability to relate to her patients. She has firsthand experience of post-surgical recovery and living with chronic pain, and can recommend procedures based on the way they have helped her. Vicki encourages pet owners to try physical therapy for pets recovering from surgery, and homeopathic remedies such as massage, hydrotherapy, and acupuncture. Thanks to these methods, "I've made pain a background noise. I have a very full life, as a very active person-if you saw my MRI, you wouldn't understand that."

Currently, Vicki divides her time between the office and the new home she shares with her partner, Joy J. Restucci. The house and the four acres of surrounding land provide innumerable projects to keep them busy. The other member of their family is Guyot, a miniature schnauzer named after Mount Guyot, one of Vicki's favorite backpacking spots in New Hampshire. "I can't tell you how happy I am every day at the job. Life is too short not to do something you love every day."

-- By Emily Giglierano '06