Aren't Good Friends Wonderful?

Today I had such a wonderful time visiting with Ellen(and Maggie), and Karin(and Lucky). They are 2 of the 3 other individuals who trained with me at NEADS when I received Alli. We hit it off right away, and we continue to get together for friendship, support,......and always great food! We were talking about how people who don't have dogs(or other pets as well), don't get it. This was prompted by our conversation about Alli and giving her a new life. Of course, I cried, we all cried! Ellen spoke of the dog they had had, Bear, and needed to give up because he was a little too active and injured Ellen after one of her surgeries to help stabilize her leg. With Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, it doesn't take much to cause great harm to her body. Of course we cried with her on that note. Then we spoke about Lucky's illness not long after we came home with our partners. Karin didn't know if he'd pull through, and, couldn't move on until she knew his fate. Luckily(pardon the pun!) Lucky pulled through and is doing great....as is Karin.

We also spoke about others not "getting" our situations. That is, unless someone has a chronic illness, they can't possibly understand our true emotions. When we get together, we have support in one another and can freely discuss our "ailments" without worrying that each of us doesn't care....WE DO!!!! Today Karin was feeling the effects of an infection that the antibiotic just hadn't gotten to yet. Ellen is still recuperating from a surgery to stabilize her clavicle that she had 3 months ago and is preparing for yet another surgery in May to once again help with one of her legs. I have been wrestling with so many emotions. My pain is never below a 5 or 6 on a scale of 10, and is usually around 8-9. My balance has become a major issue and I am now using 2 "Canadian crutches" most of the time. Since Alli hasn't been around to alert me to an impending migraine, I'm back to several a month, I don't usually know to take my med until it's too late. I still have no sense of that "aura" my docs talk about. And, my tremors are increasing and it's becoming increasingly difficult to type without constantly back spacing to make corrections...otherwise every word would have multiple "double" letters. Now, if that's not enough I'm so excited about receiving Tippy in mid February and yet I've been struggling with feelings of guilt. The guilt is due to my excitement at the prospect of loving another dog while Alli is still "with us"....with Elizabeth and Andy. In one of Elizabeth's notes to me after I let her know I was getting a new "partner", she said she was so happy for me,........and that she told Alli the news. She said she wanted Alli to know that I'd be okay and that I would have a new companion to help with my needs. She said that she knew it was important for Alli to know this. It still makes me cry to think of that. That's just one of the many reasons I know that Alli is in the best home possible with wonderful people that love her like I do.

Because of that, I know I'll be able to love Tippy unconditionally.....but boy am I going to have one heck of a good cry when I meet him.......

I don't think I'll put any more pictures up until I have my own new ones of Tippy. But I will, from time to time(like tonight) post a recent picture of Alli enjoying the
"good life".......

Have a good evening, everyone,
Wendy

I'VE BEEN MATCHED!!!!!!!!

I can't believe it!!! I've been matched with a new service dog! His name is Tippy! My daughter, Emily just made a bet with me the other day that I would get "the call" within the next 6 months. I said I thought it would be at least 8-10 months. Once again she was right.....and this time I'm glad! I think the fact that I wasn't expecting any news any time soon made it that more exciting!

I don't like anyone else answering my cell phone, but a couple of weeks ago I told them that if it was a (978) area code they had to answer it because it was probably NEADS. Soooo, after a doc's appointment on Monday Emily and I went to a movie at 3:25 in the afternoon. My cell was on vibrate, but about 15 minutes into the movie I could hear my phone vibrate and see the lit screen through my down vest pocket. I did the logical thing, I turned it off. Big mistake! I forgot about it and when I got home I had an e-mail from Brian Jennings, a trainer at NEADS! Yikes! The e-mail said that Brian would like to "match" me with a black Lab named Tippy! I looked at my phone and......sure enough......the call I didn't answer was from Brian!

Any way, Tippy is 78lbs, 26" at the shoulder, and will be 15 1/2 months when I receive him. That's the next great bit. I will go for my training on February 12th, and finish on the 24th. It actually seems that it is fate. Alli's 4th birthday is February 22nd. I guess it's true that "when one door closes, another one opens"...........

Another ironic point has to do with the NEADS' blog. Every weekday at 11:00 am they post a "Cute Puppy" picture. I check them out every day. On October 3rd, there was the most adorable little puppy you could imagine. I showed my friend Cindy and we chuckled at the name, "Tippy". We laughed imagining if I received Tippy that it would be like an oxymoron, I need a balance/walker since my balance continues to worsen as my muscles weaken. How funny it would be to have "Tippy" as a "balance" dog........gotta love it!!!!! Now, I feel it is very apropos and kind of cute. I won't see Tippy or meet him 'til probably the afternoon of the 13th during training, but I figure that since his puppy pic was on the blog it would be okay to post it.

I started this blog under the name of "My Partner Alli" when I found out I had been matched with my first service dog. I plan on doing the same thing now that I know I've been matched. I also hope to be able to post each evening during my training. I had planned to do that while I was training with Alli, but my laptop didn't cooperate and I couldn't pick up the wireless connection.

So, it is "with a song in my heart" and a lump in my throat that I move on now from my amazing time with Alli to life with Tippy. Elizabeth, Alli's new owner, sent me a message saying that they (Elizabeth and her husband Andy) were so happy for me. Then I had a good cry when I started to read the second paragraph, "I had to tell Alli too. I didn't want her to be sad, but I knew she would be relieved knowing you had another partner ready to work and take care of you." I'm not sure why, but I think I needed to hear that. After all, if it hadn't been for Alli, I don't know if I would have lived my life as I have these last 2 years. I've taken chances, gotten involved in things I might have shied away from and enjoyed every minute of it. My depression is manageable, I have very little anxiety, and I've learned to love just being me. Alli taught me that with the right kind of support, human or canine, the possibilities truly are endless. I learned not to fear new situations and not to be afraid of falling because she was with me, every minute of every day.......

Because of her, I'm able to be beside myself with excitement and anticipation at the prospect of a new "partner".

Because of her, I can move forward.

Because of her, I can enter the next phase of my life.

Life With Tippy

Peace,
Wendy