Muscular Dystrophy

Dec 4, 2010

Canine Companions For Independence Graduate Edgar Jimenez Graduates From The University Of Texas Today

Al , Service Dogs

Canine Companions For Independence Graduate Edgar Jimenez Graduates From The University Of Texas Today

I ran into this very inspirational story late last night – I see loads of service dog stories every day, but this is one of those great ones that epitomizes the whole concept.

Edgar Jimenez is a 22-year-old young man graduating from the University of Texas Cockrell School of Engineering today along with his Canine Companions for Independence Service Dog Rowdy III.  You won’t see CCI mentioned anywhere in the story, but eagle-eyed observers will spot the CCI patch on Rowdy’s cape.

Quite a story of how Edgar’s family emigrated to Texas from Costa Rica when he was very young to give him the best opportunity for living with the muscular dystrophy he was born with, and how Edgar has clearly made the most of that opportunity. Please go read it for yourself:

“Defined by his successes, not his limitations”

I spent a lotta time in Texas, my wife’s from there, we have family there about 70 miles from Austin, and I know other CCI graduates and volunteers there as well, but I’ve never met Edgar or heard his fantastic story before.  All of those factors make this story mean even more to me than it would, anyway.

Congratulations, Edgar – and Rowdy!

Jun 3, 2009

Inspiring Story of How One Service Dog Family Deals With Muscular Dystrophy

Al , , , Service Dogs

This is a very tough story to read – at least it was for me – but it will give you an idea of some of the really difficult things that people with service dogs and their families deal with every day.

In this case, it happens to be a Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) graduate team – Heidi Miller, her son Mitch Ball, and their Skilled Companion Dog, Lynelle – who live in Citrus Heights, CA near Sacramento. Mitch is 24, has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) with almost no ability to move his body, and, as such, requires constant care.

Tough as this story is, it’s also very inspirational in that it shows the lengths to which some will go to try and make life better for another person.

I also have to be honest and say that, if I seem pretty touchy about the term “service dog” and how loosely I see that term tossed around nowadays, these kind of stories are why I’m that way.  I realize that assistance dogs come in all shapes and sizes and perform many different types of valuable functions for all kinds of people, but when I see those with severe needs like this family has…well, read the article for yourself and I think you’ll understand:

“Mom’s home care of son confronts a harsh illness”

UPDATE:  Thanks to a fellow graduate from Mitch’s Team Training class, here’s the link to Mitch’s blog:

http://mitchballsworld.blogspot.com/