Success Stories
Sally and Sugar

After college and graduate school, I married and began teaching in the local school system. My teaching career was followed by my becoming a busy stay-at-home mother of two children, homemaker and wife. When the girls entered kindergarten, I joined the interpretive staff at Old Salem. I was also a volunteer in several areas and loved gardening, sewing and crafts.

During the nation's bicentennial year I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and it quickly progressed to a severe condition. My joints deteriorated and needed many surgeries so that I have new knees, many artificial finger and toe joints, and interesting elbow, shoulder, and wrist joints. Although there continues to be damage, new drugs came out in 2000 and have provided much reduction in my active disease.

A changing point came in 2005, after a hard year with chronic bronchitis and pneumonia. I began new medicines and was accepted into a great exercise study at Wake Forest University. Although I have limitations in my mobility, balance, and flexibility. I try to accomplish as much as I can and be as involved with family, friends and activities as possible. I do admit that I drop things easily and have difficulty picking up large, awkward or heavy things. I find it difficult to reach above my shoulder level or to button pants and shirts. Until recently I could only walk with a cane and although exercise has helped a lot, I still find my balance shaky. I have continuously tried to find adaptive ways of overcoming these obstacles. To this end I was so delighted to have the opportunity to partner with a mobility assistance dog-a dream I have cherished since I learned about service dog programs.

I have started training with "Sugar", a beautiful 4 year old yellow Lab. She is a wonderful dog with tremendous abilities to assist in so many areas of my life. I can already see that her skills are just beginning to be tapped! She is learning to help me dress and undress. Sugar is also able to brace so that I can stand up from a chair safely. We are learning to walk at my slow pace, giving me greater security from falling. I am trying to learn as much as she knows and to be her leader. I figure at this point I am playing catch up in the skills area, but I can see a beautiful partnership and companionship developing. I hope that we will make a superb team as I improve. She is definitely an inspiration to me and a great motivator for me to work hard.