A Dream Come True

One of Sarah's dreams, post disease diagnosis, was to welcome a guide dog into her life.  There are many advantages to having a guide dog as a visually impaired person, the biggest being that it helps to have two brains working together toward a common goal, which in turn creates confidence in oneself.  Plus, the implicit trust between a guide dog and her handler allows a level of freedom for the visually impaired person that a cane alone does not. 

The thing that I did not know about guide dogs prior to Sarah losing her own vision, is just how hard it is to qualify for one. Guide dog organizations don't just hand out guide dogs to anyone who wants one. The application process is very thorough. Not only do you need proof from your physician that you are visually impaired - a person also has to have multiple references, get through an interview, and also show that one can navigate in the world on her own. This last part of the process involves a year + of training with an orientation and mobility specialist.

 Our family had to hire our own private O & M specialist while Sarah was under the age of 18 (long story) to teach her the skills necessary to qualify for a guide dog. We interviewed and hired a wonderful woman named Jana. Jana is an amazing human being and teacher who helped Sarah learn how to navigate in this world by herself. Sarah explained to Jana that it was a dream of hers to qualify for a guide dog. Jana explained to Sarah that this would be a long process, especially since Sarah had no previous orientation and mobility training. It took about 16 months, but by the end Sarah learned how to navigate stores, neighborhoods, the bus system, the train system, uber/taxis, navigating all kinds of roads, including multiple lane road crossings (think 3 and 4 lanes going in all four directions). Jana showed Sarah how to navigate a college campus, how to pick up on different sounds and signals to help her get around by herself. It was an amazing process to watch unfold from my perspective.  To see Sarah's determination to get through some really hard stuff and to meet with Jana weekly and put in the work just shows how tough Sarah is. Imagine closing your eyes and with only a cane getting around your neighborhood, crossing a street with 3 lanes and using your ears to be able to tell when the lane closest to you has a red light, getting on a bus and knowing when to get off of the bus at your stop, walking around a store to shop or knowing where to go for help with shopping. Could you do it? I know I certainly could not. Now imagine watching your child do it. It is so inspiring and scary. But this is what Sarah needs to do to accomplish her goals - she needs to know how to navigate in this sighted world as a person who is blind. 

And so...after 16 months of O & M training, several months long application process, over a year of waiting for her match after her application was accepted, Sarah finally got her guide dog. She flew to White Plains, New York two weeks ago and went through a 12 day bootcamp learning how to navigate life with a guide dog (which is different than doing so with a cane). 

On Monday, June 10, 2024, Sarah met Heron - her yellow lab match. To say that it was an emotional experience would be an understatement. This was the culmination of a lot of hard work and determination. It was a dream come true for Sarah - the first of many. 

I am so proud of Sarah for putting in the work the accomplish this goal. She did this all on her own. No one else could help her with this dream. And she did it.

Sarah and Heron came home on Saturday, June 22, 2024. Miles immediately took to Heron. He is head-over-heels in love with her and will not leave her side. Max isn't so sure of her. He doesn't like a new being intruding on his territory, so it will take a bit of time before he warms up to her.

What a ride this journey has been. 

Meet Heron

At her graduation ceremony at the end of the two-week bootcamp.

Playing tug-of-war. 

Miles happy as a hippo with his new best friend.