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By KarleyÌý

Independence is such a powerful word, one that is often taken for granted.

Being a teenager, like other teenagers, I want as much independence I can possibly get. But in April 2012, I was given a diagnosis that took my independence away from me, or so I thought. I suddenly went from running with my track team and playing basketball, to having to use crutches and wheelchair to get around. I just accepted that with my new condition I now needed to give up a great deal of my independence.

Then, in summer 2013 I received a phone call that changed my life forever. That call came from Canine Partners for Life giving me the news that I had been matched with a service dog! I had applied for a service dog shortly after my diagnosis, but did not realize I would get matched so soon. They told me his name was Kaiser, and we were accepted into the fall 2013 team training class. Kaiser and I connected from the very first day I met him. In only three weeks of training, Kaiser had already made an impact in my life. With Kaiser by my side to support my walking and to help me conserve my energy, I began to slowly get back aspects of my independence that I thought were gone for good!

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