Arkin

Nancy and Arkin

I was a nurse, an active wife and mother, horseback rider and sculptor. I loved taking walks, reading and going to museums. Then I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and lilfe as I knew it was gone forever. The disease changed my abilities drastically. I had to give up my nursing job and could no longer read and process what was on the page due to cognitive issues. As my motor skills evaporated one by one I could no longer work with the clay that once had helped me express myself. I could no longer ride horses or take walks. I no longer had the courage to go out to galleries and museums. As my helalth declined and bodily functions ceased to cooperated with the commands I begged them to follow, I sank in to a dismal abyss of depression. I gave up. I gathered my family, begged for their love and understanding, and devised a plan that would end my life. Then a miracle occurred. I received a call from Canine Companions for Independence--a non profit organization that places service dogs with people with special needs at no cost whatsoever. After having been on the waiting list, I had been called to join Team Training and receive an assistance dog. The Team Training was life altering. How could life be so bad when there were people in it who wanted nothing from me except to help me find a way back to happiness and purpose? Then I received Canine Companions assistance dog Arkin. Arkin who can pick up items I drop when my fingers aren't cooperating so that I don't have to ask others for help. Arkin, who can get my cell phone when I fall. Arkin, who can help me with daily tasks many of us take for granted--taking off my shoes and socks, and even bring a beverage and food from the refrigerator. Thanks to Arkin, my life has been transformed. I retreated back from the precipice that had been looming in front of me for months. I chose life. Because of Arkin's help and his never ending amount of love, I have found ways to care for and give to others. I am an active volunteer at a hospital working with cancer, MS and HIV patients. I speak all over, educating the public and hopefully, giving hope back to those who might be standing at the same precipice that I had been. Everyday is a good day----even the bad ones.

From Nancy and her beloved Arkin