Marshall alerted me to all the sounds in my environment that I cannot hear – the smoke detector, timer, telephone, alarm clock and people knocking at the door. With his help I was connected to the world of sound around me. He took his job very seriously and I learned to trust him completely, he was never wrong. He worked 24/7. He gave me confidence. He could, by virtue of his smoke detector alerts, even safe my life.
Riddle can think, and I’d argue he can even reason. Riddle reads how I feel, where I hurt, and when my neural pathways fail me. When the world starts to overwhelm me and my mind and body start to fatigue, Riddle is watching, ready to step forward and nudge me. That is special. That is Riddle.
Gone are the days I can just head out the door on a whim. By the time I’m ready to leave, I’m already mentally and physically drained. I’m happiest when I’m in my manual chair, rather than my cumbersome power chair, but I don’t have the strength except for with short distance on level areas.
I confess I have another reason for always scrolling through the PADS photos; my son Riley suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury when he was 17, (about 7 years ago), and is now permanently in a wheelchair. This motivated me even more to want to meet Sif.
“This amazing dog, Jolie, saved me last night. In the world of Quadriplegia is a condition known as ‘Autonomic Disreflexia’ it is an adaptive warning system for those who cant feel normally, when something is wrong – or the body is trying to get your attention due to pain/discomfort/or a problem.