RSS
Print This Post Print This Post

Paws For Patriots By Chris McNamee

feature-template-southeastern-guide-dogs

Paws For Patriots

By Chris McNamee

Initially, the news that one-third of the recent graduates of Southeastern Guide Dogs have been military veterans receiving their guides through the school’s Paws for Patriots program may come as a surprise. However, the need for guide dogs to team with blinded veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was revealed back in 2003 when a board member of the school read that the Veterans Administration does not provide guide dogs to soldiers. That realization gave birth to the Paws for Patriots Program, and since its inception, the school has teamed over 140 wounded soldiers with “The Gift of Mobility” provided by their highly skilled guide dogs all at no charge to the recipient.

General Tommy Franks was so impressed with the work of Southeastern, and their Paws for Patriots program, that he became an unpaid spokesman for the school, and recorded a Public Service Announcement to educate the public and military about the benefits and needs of guide dogs for wounded servicemen and women.

When I received my guide Max, I was fortunate to be in class with a retired Marine Corporal, Michael Jernigan, who was receiving his guide Brittani. Jernigan is the recipient of both a Purple Heart and a Combat Action Ribbon. He is a third-generation marine, and was proudly serving his country in Iraq when his Humvee was struck by a roadside bomb. He lost both eyes, suffered a crushed cranium and incurred severe trauma to his right hand and left knee, yet somehow he survived. “Brittani has been an essential part of my recovery process,” says Michael. “She is not only a guide, but she’s also a great companion when the world gets too difficult.” One of 10 wounded veterans featured in HBO’s Alive Day Memories documentary, Michael now actively helps other veterans in need.

Since graduation, I was blessed to attend a number of graduation classes at Southeastern. Last fall, the day after Veterans Day, I was privileged to hear the stories of Lieutenant Colonel Kathy Champion and Army Green Beret Pete Perez. Champion returned from her tour of duty from Iraq and discovered she brought with her a virus that destroyed her vision. She struggled with her lack of independence prior to discovering Southeastern Guide Dogs. Ironically she was paired with her guide, Angel; a pet name she called her children. Angel helped her to return to society, restoring her independence and purpose. She left the school with a mission to “pay it forward” and speak out to fellow wounded veterans about the benefits of the school’s Paws for Patriots program. She accomplished that when she was introduced to Pete Perez during an outing of horseback riding.

Perez was the victim of a bomb blast that hit his Humvee while on duty in Afghanistan and he spent the next five years dealing with migraines, insomnia, and depression caused by his vision loss. He had served almost 19 years in the Army, and was suddenly faced with a medical discharge from service, and a world of dependence on others. Fortunately, Champion encouraged him to visit the school’s campus in Palmetto, Florida and impressed him with her mobility and independence. Perez was paired with Lucy, a yellow Labrador Retriever. “I might have avoided a lot of problems if I knew about this program a long time ago,” said Perez. “I wanted to be more active but I see it as a constant form of therapy as well.” “Instead of taking pills, I can play with Lucy.” Perez can now enjoy evenings out with his family, activities that would have stressed him out prior to receiving his guide. “Simple things, you know? We like to visit parks. I just want to do all the normal, everyday activities that families do together.”

For more information about the programs, volunteer opportunities and how you can help Southeastern Guide Dogs, please visit their web site www.guidedogs.org, where much of the information for this article was obtained.

Chris McNamee has the degenerative rentinal disease retinitis pigmentosa. RP is characterized by the progressive loss of photoreceptor cells, rods and cones, which provide night and peripheral vision. RP is an inherited disease; his father has RP as well as a younger sister. Chris was diagnosed with the disease at age 28, and his vision deteriorated to the point that he was forced to stop driving six years later in 1993. He currently has a very small central field of vision, and no night vision. He travels with the aid of his guide dog, Max.

Copyright © 2010 REAL Magazine

Links to this article are encouraged

Share

Tags: , , ,

2 Responses to “Paws For Patriots By Chris McNamee”

  1. Ken Allen says:

    Hello, I’m Ken Allen Grants chairman for the Greater Sarasota Sertoma Club. “Service to Mankind”
    We would like to donate $500 to this awesome cause for local Vets.
    Please contact me and tell me how and where to submit.
    My Cell # is XXX-XXX-XXXX
    and my Email is: XXX@XXXXXX.com
    Look forward to meeting you.
    Perhaps you would like to come to one of our weekly meetings held at Cafe Baci on the south trail and receive it and tell us more.
    We meet every Wednesday at 12 noon.
    Thanks Ken

    Personal information redlined by REAL Magazine

  2. Ed Bertha says:

    Ken,
    I forwarded your contact information on to Patsy French at Southeastern Guide Dogs. You should here from her shortly. Thank you for supporting Southeastern Guide Dogs.
    Ed Bertha
    REAL Magazine

Leave a Reply


Featured Properties

Ads

REAL HAPPENINGS

April 2, 2020 Ringling Underground

April 2, 2020 Ringling Underground

CANCELLED Ringling Underground CANCELLED. Enjoy live music, and art in the Museum of Art Courtya[...]
CleanSlate Property Services Opens

CleanSlate Property Services Opens

CleanSlate Property Services, a local concierge handyman business. My name is Tim White, former [...]
March 5, 2020 Ringling Underground

March 5, 2020 Ringling Underground

Ringling Underground Returns. Enjoy live music, and art in the Museum of Art Courtyard 8:00pm -1[...]
March 6, 2020 Gettel Toyota Grand Opening

March 6, 2020 Gettel Toyota Grand Opening

You're Invited To Gettel Toyota Of Bradenton's Grand Opening. On Friday, March 6th, from 12pm-2:[...]
March 12-13, 2020 Pop Up Art Show

March 12-13, 2020 Pop Up Art Show

Sarasota Architectural Salvage Hosts Event To Support Local Artists. For more information and/or[...]
February 6, 2020 Ringling Underground

February 6, 2020 Ringling Underground

Ringling Underground Returns. Enjoy live music, and art in the Museum of Art Courtyard 8:00pm -1[...]
January 25, 2020 Spoons And Tunes

January 25, 2020 Spoons And Tunes

TheWineToBuy.com Hosts Innovative Wine Tasting. Tired of the same old BS? Then join TheWineToBuy[...]
February 7, 2020 Thunder By The Bay Kick Off Party

February 7, 2020 Thunder By The Bay Kick Off Party

White Buffalo Saloon Hosts Born To Be Wild! Join REAL as we kick off 2020's Thunder by the Bay. [...]
Curb Appeal Detailing Opens New Sarasota Location

Curb Appeal Detailing Opens New Sarasota Location

Auto Enthusiasts Take Note. Curb Appeal Detailing announced the opening of their new location i[...]
January 11, 2020 National Hot Toddy Day

January 11, 2020 National Hot Toddy Day

How To Warm Up On A Chilly Day. Today is National Hot Toddy Day! A hot toddy is a delicious drin[...]
Anheuser-Busch Launches New Hard Seltzer

Anheuser-Busch Launches New Hard Seltzer

Bud Light Seltzer Arrives Just In Time For The Super Bowl! Anheuser-Busch is launching a new har[...]
Ocala Gains New Urgent Care Center

Ocala Gains New Urgent Care Center

StatMed Urgent Care Center Ocala Opens January 2, 2020. StatMed Urgent Care Center is a step abo[...]
New Year's Eve 2019-2020 Tow To Go

New Year's Eve 2019-2020 Tow To Go

Everyone Have A Safe New Year’s Eve Tonight! Tow to Go is a partnership between AAA & Budweiser.[...]
Wyze Labs Data Breach

Wyze Labs Data Breach

Multiple Data Breaches Exposes Information Of 2.4 Million Customers. Wyze Labs' low cost, inter[...]
Westbound SR 70 Southbound I75 Ramp To Close

Westbound SR 70 Southbound I75 Ramp To Close

8 Months of New Detours Loom Large! Starting at 11 p.m. Thursday, January 2nd, the westbound on-[...]
Wawa Data Breach

Wawa Data Breach

Wawa Facing Wave Of Lawsuits Over Data Breach. On December 10, Wawa's information security team [...]
December 26, 2019 Deck the Halls @ Ca' d'Zan

December 26, 2019 Deck the Halls @ Ca' d'Zan

Ca' d'Zan All Decked Out. On December 26th, from 5:00pm – 8:00pm join The Ringling for Deck the [...]
January 22, 2020 Ringling's Wisconsin Pullman Tour

January 22, 2020 Ringling's Wisconsin Pullman Tour

Private Tour of the Wisconsin Pullman Car. Join Jennifer Lemmer-Posey, Tibbals Curator of Circus [...]
Commercial Investment Division Changes Name

Commercial Investment Division Changes Name

RASM Commercial Division Now Know As Commercial Real Estate Alliance. The Realtor Association of[...]
December 3, 2019 GivingTuesday

December 3, 2019 GivingTuesday

Join the GivingTuesday Movement. GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the po[...]
Translate »