Recent CCI Graduate Passes Away

Posted on | April 21, 2009 | No Comments

There’s a very nice – albeit also very sad – story in the Vail paper today about Mylissa Eckdahl, a recent Canine Companions for Independence graduate who passed away last week. Mylissa was only 43 and had only just graduated with her service dog Santana from the CCI Southwest Regional Center in Oceanside, CA in August 2008.

I happened to be out in Oceanside for the graduation that week, but I can’t say I really knew Mylissa other than briefly saying hello. That’s definitely my loss, and reading the article made me wish I’d gotten to know her a lot better.

Please read the article – beyond being a very nice tribute, it will also give you an excellent perspective about the kind of things some of the more severely injured people who get these dogs deal with daily.

“Eagle woman’s courage, generosity remembered”

4/23/09 UPDATE: Several people who attended Mylissa Eckdahl’s memorial service last evening said it was a very moving and beautiful service.   A very nice memorial site where you can see more information about her life and leave comments if you’d like has been set up at this link:

http://www.sympathytree.com/mylissaeckdahl/

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