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SANFORD - Amy Dumas, who's lived "all over, but mostly in the South,"
began her sampling tour through life in Atlanta where she graduated
from high school and attended college.

"I studied secondary education because I'd always wanted to be a
middle school teacher. Somehow, this age that a lot of people
consider difficult has a real appeal for me. These kids are capable
for the first time of learning life's lessons, and I wanted to be a
part of the process."
Being "part of the process" also meant following her basic instincts
and exploring whatever was out there, so Amy was playing bass guitar
and performing with local bands at the same time. "And, being a spur-
of-the-moment type of person, I decided to take up martial arts as
well," she says. This is when something clicked - the idea that
fusing a rock star image with a martial arts role could be a winning
combination in the entertainment world - and education was pushed to
the back burner.

The story could have ended here, either with Amy's successes on stage
or a return to her original objective in the educational field.
However, it detoured when a friend insisted that she watch the
wrestling matches on television. "It was something I'd never done
before, but looking at the performers I found myself getting really
excited and thinking, 'Well, since I'm already far into studying
martial arts, why not make wrestling my next move?'"

THIS WAS 1998, and a Mexican movement wrestling style called Luche
Libre was all the rage, "something more acrobatic than regular
wrestling," Amy says. "So I located a school in Mexico City and
started training for the ring." Because what she was doing felt right
from the very beginning, Amy says she worked hard to get noticed in
smaller federations, always keeping an eye on a larger goal,
constantly refining her act and forwarding videotapes of her matches
to World Wide Entertainment.

"Getting noticed is what it takes," she says. "It's all a matter of
being in the right place at the right time." The breaks were with her
and by November 1999, Amy had scored the big one. In one year, far
less time than it takes most wrestlers to get there, she was added to
the roster of WWE stars as "Lovely Lita." The designation stuck,
although Amy says there was a time lapse before she got used to the
new moniker.
A name change wasn't the only surprise in store for the
pulchritudinous pugilist when she joined. "Along the way I'd met Matt
Hardy from Cameron, when we were both wrestling in independent shows;
and when I got to WWE, I found he was there as well. Soon we were
being teamed on the circuit, sometimes in a threesome that included
Matt's brother, Jeff. Initially there was nothing serious between us
other than our common interest in wrestling, which Matt eats, sleeps
and breathes.

"However, he recognized my determination and dedication and respected
me for what I was doing and gradually a strong connection was formed.
You can't say we became an immediate item, but our careers meshed and
we've remained close ever since. We have an 'on camera/off camera'
relationship in a business where illusion is primary Š where it's
difficult to tell the real from the imaginary.

"For us, it's perfect. With two people who are constantly busy Š on
the road three hundred days a year and regularly performing in fifty
three different countries Š time for outsiders would doubtless have
been impossible anyway." Most importantly, says Amy, their friendship
brought about a big change in Matt's life. "Although he'd never been
a big animal lover, he knew what dogs mean to me and came to accept
that as a given in our relationship."

WITH A SUCCESSFUL CAREER and a wonderful man in her life, Amy's story
appeared to be heading toward a fairy tale ending at this point. Then
her saga turned into a nightmare.

It was April 2002 when Amy, who'd been hired to do the season's
finale of the Fox TV series "Dark Angel," was engaged in a colossal
fight scene when something terrible occurred. "The stunt person with
whom I was working dropped me on my head and, although I didn't
realize it at the time, my neck was broken." At first, while she
couldn't lift her left arm, Amy says she wasn't worried because she
could feel movement in her fingers and toes. "Injuries are very
common in wrestling, so I wasn't that concerned. Just figured it
would take a while to get over the numbness. But, the pain increased
instead and after another examination the doctors determined that I
actually did have a broken neck."

Following this diagnosis, Amy was flown to San Antonio to go under
the knife of a neurosurgeon noted for working on injured
paratroopers. "Suddenly I was severely limited physically. From
exercising in the gym seven days a week I had come to a screeching
halt, and it was nightmarish."

After surgery Amy was fitted with a hard collar, which she had to
wear constantly for the next four months. "If my profession had been
normal, something like a desk job, I probably could have been back at
work in a few weeks. Instead, I was housebound and thoroughly
depressed. I'd just moved to Sanford when it happened, and the only
people I knew were my immediate neighbors."

WRACKING HER BRAIN about how to occupy herself "to keep from falling
into an even deeper depression," Amy thought of what she'd done as a
teenager. "Growing up, my father would never allow me to have a pet
at home. So I'd worked at kennels and pet shops and with a vet, just
to be around animals." After her 18th birthday, Amy moved away and
got her very own dog from the Atlanta Humane Society. She named him
Cody, and they were inseparable until he passed away in April 2003.

Even though she was wearing the hard collar, Amy was still doing
promotional work for WWE. "I was making personal appearances and
signing autographs about once every week or two, but I had extra time
on my hands. So I started volunteering at CARA here in Sanford and at
Moore County's new arrival center for animals. I needed that boost
you get from animals, just hanging out and talking to them, cleaning
cages and doing light stuff. Also, I particularly couldn't stand
being alone in the house after Cody died of cancer."

Bringing another pet into her life so soon after Cody's death didn't
seem an option to Amy, who was still grieving for her best friend and
getting ready to go on the road as soon as the surgeon gave his
OK. "I go back to San Antonio every two months for check-ups and to
get a new prescription for my activity level," Amy explains. Although
she works out regularly at Nautilus, she says this can't possibly
replicate the pounding that goes on in the ring. "The surgeon is a
great man, who understands what my professional life means to me,"
she continues.

"So, instead of telling me never to go back, he's teaching me to be
totally aware of my body and how to stay on top of any injury that
might occur."

SIX WEEKS after Cody's death a tiny wire-haired Dachshund and Lhasa
apso mix pup was dumped by his former owner at the Moore County
Animal Control Center.

It took one look and Amy had a new best friend, a cunning animal who
knew what he wanted and used his wiles to get it. "I had nothing to
do with it. Mason selected me," Amy confesses. "I call him my little
pocket pet, and he goes every place with me. He loves airplane trips
and thoroughly enjoys autograph sessions where he shows off like a
little ham."

Determining to make use of Mason's star power, Amy says she decided
to stage "a last hurrah for pets before I return to work full time.
It's a local kickoff for my latest project, A.D.O.R.E. (Amy Dumas
Operation and Rescue), at Aberdeen Lake Park, as a way of
strengthening my bond with the community. We're calling it Lita's
ADOREable Pet Celebration, a celebration to promote animal welfare
and a day of fun for pets and people. There will be a ton of
activities, and all the proceeds will be donated to Carolina Animal
Rescue and Adoption and the Moore County Animal Center."

AMY'S PLATE, which was already brimming, will soon be even fuller.
When she wasn't doing promotions for WWE or volunteering at the
rescue centers, she was writing a book, "A Lesser Traveled ROAD - The
Reality of Amy Dumas," which will be published by Simon & Schuster in
September. Due date is the 16th, and shortly thereafter Amy will be
on the road for a dual purpose. "My author's tour is being set up to
coincide with wrestling events," Amy says. "So that means a fall of
travel for Mason and me. But he loves it, and as long as he's with
me, everything will be fine."

Obviously, Mason is finding that a dog's life can also turn into a
surprisingly sumptuous banquet.

Credit: Anne Marie and the Sanford Herald

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