Guest post by Heather Campbell
I grew up an
overachiever. One teacher described me as having an A+ personality instead of
the regular A type. So I thought nothing of working two jobs and going to
school full time when I was 24 in 2012. It was hard, but I loved to work hard
and I was going after my dreams. Then I started having my seizures and
everything changed rapidly. My world became very narrow. I didn't leave my
apartment for much of anything, my depression and anxiety shot through the
roof, I was dealing with seizures, fainting, and nerve pain, and I found that
many things that seemed so easy before—like picking something up off the floor
or walking for long periods of time—were suddenly out of reach.
When I got my
diagnosis, one of the things recommended to us was looking into having a
service dog. As soon as I could, I started applying. SSD was the only one in
the half dozen applications I initially sent out that said yes. From that first
submission to receiving SSD Cricket, it took four years. In that time, I had
over a dozen concussions and had injured myself in many ways with my seizures.
I still struggled to get out of the house, to the point where I was starting to
get afraid to do so.
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| SSD Cricket |
When Cricket
walked in during Meet the Dogs, it was like everything clicked into place. He
zeroed in on me right away, was eager to please, gentle despite his food drive,
and a giant goof when we were just getting to know each other. I remember
telling Amanda [SSD’s director of training and breeding] and the others "I
think he just fetched my heart and took it with him." I was hopeful for a
match from the group after doing so well, but I truly was hoping for Cricket
above all.
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| Heather and SSD Cricket with her wife and Cricket's puppy raisers |
Being matched
with him was amazing, but training with him was even better. He was responsive
and I could see opportunities opening in front of me with every moment. He read
my body better than I could sometimes and responded amazingly. During one of
the practices with the cue Pillow, where he pillows my head while I'm on the
ground, I found myself feeling a seizure coming on. Despite it only being
Cricket's second time seeing one of my seizures, he stayed right where he was and
I was able to just focus on getting through it. He helped me up to my knees
after and I couldn't stop myself from crying.
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| SSD Cricket relaxing under a table |
Looking at
Cricket was like looking at a chance at having a life again. He's the key to
taking my world- which has consisted mostly of my house and times my wife could
take me places- and making it bigger. I don't need to be afraid of going
places. I'm not afraid of being alone. Because I'm not alone- I have my
partner, and we're looking out for each other. He's given me both purpose and
independence.
Cricket and I
couldn't be a better pair. We both strive to do well, we respond amazing to
praise, and we are both so proud to be part of the SSD team. Normally, I'm a
rescue sort of animal parent, but in this case, the rescue went the other way
around. He's rescued me.
To support future partnerships like Heather's with SSD Cricket, donate to build a new training facility for Susquehanna Service Dogs. With a new facility, SSD will be able to serve more people on our waiting list in a shorter amount of time. You can make a difference! Give now: https://crowdrise.com/susquehanna-capital-campaign
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