To look at Amanda now, no one would ever guess that at two
days old the nurses had told us to “Kiss your baby good-bye,” as they
transferred her to The Hospital for Sick Children. They engaged her Dad telling him, “It’s in His
hands now,” and told me, “All you can do now is pray for her.”
Her Dad rode with her in the ambulance watching anxiously as
the defective incubator she was traveling in stopped working intermittently
during the drive from Richmond Hill to Toronto. Thankfully the paramedics who
transported our infant were colleagues of John’s and provided exemplary care.
I was devastated not
to be allowed to be discharged from the hospital myself; it was heartbreaking
to be separated from my newborn daughter, especially when everyone seemed to
feel we might never see her again. Her
dad held it all together until they reached Sick Kids. We are so fortunate to have a strong support network
of family and friends; our friend Tom Butash was a pillar of moral support for
John, driving out late at night to be there for him at Sick Kids. Later, Erin and Tom would take our dog Sean
for the duration of Amanda’s stay at Sick Kids.
Amanda’s aunt, Kara-Lynne Dunn, who had already driven to
our house to get John a change of clothes before the transfer, waited for John’s
call in the wee hours of the morning and then drove out to the hospital to pick
him up and drive him home. Everyone knew how sick Amanda was and the nurses at
York Central let us know that they were relieved that I had the support of my
mom and my sisters at this precarious time.
Unless you have experienced it, you cannot know the fear,
the worry, the complete devastation of seeing your newborn, head shaved for the
IV, limp as a noodle, with low muscle tone, having ongoing seizures and
presenting with a “fixed blank stare.”
One of my worst moments was when John confirmed that the
doctors had admitted there was a possibility that Amanda might not make it.
Those were emotionally draining days, and just the beginning
of our journey.
There have been many stages of diagnoses and trials of
medications, surgeries and alternative therapies throughout the years. Her pediatrician called her, “the miracle
child.”
What has made the biggest difference in Amanda’s life? Her service-dogs.
The seizures persist, despite ongoing treatments, but Amanda
can cope with this because of the support of her service dog. It is her service dog that gives her the
confidence to go out into the neighbourhood knowing that she will be alright
when the seizures strike. It is her
service dog that will keep her safe from oncoming traffic or dangerous objects
on the sidewalks when she goes into a seizure.
It is her service dog that will summon help when Amanda is unable to.
Of course the training of these amazing dogs is costly. Cable has been in training now for seven
months and recently had her first real training class with Amanda. Have a look at the photographs accompanying
this post to see this beautiful girl learning with her future handler.
Our Go Fund Me has generated enough funds to cover Cable’s
training until August, but she has a long way to go after that.
In order to cover the remaining 14-22 months of specialized
training after that we need to raise at least another $24,000.
If you can help us spread the word and find more donors we
would be incredibly grateful!
Please share our links with any groups, Facebook friends,
friends, neighbours and relatives who might have an interest in helping with
the training of a service dog who will mean so much to Amanda’s life.
https://cablescalling.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Cables-Calling-Born-to-be-a-Service-Dog-101555021631826/
Donate here: https://bit.ly/3fvYtxd
Remember, a fun way to help is to
participate in our upcoming RAFFLE! The
date has been moved up to June 22nd.
We will do a live draw on Facebook at 7:00 pm. Stay tuned and good luck!
First Walk Together
