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A Golden Miracle
My name is Erinn Elizabeth Farver, and I would like to tell the
work about a very special miracle. In 1998, I had been trying to fight a 16 year uphill
battle with epilepsy, when a 4 pawed, long haired miracle came into my life. This
miracle's name is Ava, and she is a light golden Seizure Assistance Dog.
Before this beautiful Golden Retriever entered my life, I lived alone
in my own house, but was constantly on guard, almost terrified of having a grand mal
seizure and wandering outdoors where I could seriously injure myself. Living alone in
itself was quite daring, but I longed for independence. What I longed most for was the
freedom to leave my house on foot, walk to the corner market, and buy a gallon of milk.
Simple everyday tasks such as this are easily taken for granted by many. For me, these
"tasks" turned to blessings once Ava came to work for me. Ava came to me via airplane from Nashville, TN on March 18, 1998. A
training center in that state had worked with her for the previous six months, and a
training center here in Maryland took over the secondary training of Ava shortly after.
This is how Ava "works" for me: when I have a grand mal
seizure, either in my house or out in public, Ava stays right by my side, and when I'm
coming to, is licking my face. She will not lick my face at any other time. The licking of
the face causes a strange sensation and seems to "awaken" me quicker. The
post-ictal mode of a grand mal is often the most dangerous part of having these types of
seizures. This is the aftermath, when the seizure itself has ended but the disorientation
of the body, not yet reconnected with the mind, makes a person wander around in a daze.
Ava has been an unyielding help to me when I'm post-ictal. She runs all
around me, circling until she has my attention, and then gets me to sit down in a
"safe" place. This is usually either on the couch or on the carpeted floor with
my back up against a wall. If I begin to get up again and she has not sensed that I am
ready, she will let out a brief low growlnot meanjust one letting me know to
stay where I am. Ava stays in a sitting position just in front of me until she feels the
danger is gone. She stands then, and takes 2 or 3 steps back as if to tell me I'm allowed
to rise. By this point, aside from a bad headache, I do feel better. Once, as I was taking a lay-down bubble bath, Ava entered the bathroom,
sniffed at my arm as I was reaching out to pet her, and then growled. When I just looked
at her, shocked by her odd reaction to my touch, she barked. I do not remember, but I must
have realized Ava was trying to warn me of a seizure because the next thing I knew, I was
coming to, very dazed and very wet, on my bathroom floor. Ava just may have prevented me
from drowning. Sometimes, before I have a grand mal seizure, Ava begins acting
erratic, pawing me, dancing around on her hind legs, and sometimes even producing that low
growl I mentioned before. Several times I have noticed that she was acting out of
character, and then after waking up to her tongue licking my face, figured out why. Due to
us living aloneand perhaps by me missing signalsno one has been able to
distinguish a pattern, to tell for certain whether or not Ava uses this strange behavior
before every seizure. When I've had seizures outside, in our fenced in back yard, Ava has
barked to my next door neighbors for help. Two of the times that this happened, I'd seized
at the top of my deck steps, fallen down them and was not coming to at all. Ava has been
to the emergency room with me on several occasions, and has laid quietly beside the bed,
watching closely (as close as possible) but allowing the medical team to do their work
without interference. It's been about 2½ years since Ava, my golden miracle dog, came
into my life and just having her with me has enabled me to overcome many challenges. One
specific barrier I thought I would never break through was fear. Now, with Ava beside me as my companion, my medical helper, my friend,
I have no fear . . . . and that alone, is a miracle.
Entry written by Erinn Farver, Writer/Artist, Westminster, Maryland Volunteer speaking at local schools about disabilities/importance of Service Dogs
* Third Place Award Recipient
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