As I walked across the school cafeteria where local authors had tables for greeting people, one of the authors seated behind her table called out to me. She complimented my service pup in training, West and said she would like to have him. I hear this a lot, in fact too often. People who are not disabled innocently say how much they would love to have a dog help them. If they truly knew the struggles people with disabilities have, they would surely count their blessings.
My reply was that he will go to someone with a disability. Since I know that not all disabilities are visible all of the time, I inquired if she was disabled. She said yes she was and wanted to learn more about service dogs. West and I spent time with her listening and sharing information. Her name is Marian P. Licko she is an author of a children’s book and an advocate for Parkinson Disease which she has. Marian had been the Congressional Coordinator for The Parkinson’s Action Network. This is a woman that is resilient, strong, smart and thoughtful. Marian is an accomplished person from writing books and facing a debilitating disease to presenting to Congress. She’s inspiring. I hope that she follows up with Canine Companions for Independence (or another quality service dog organization) and is given a specially trained dog to assist her (and love her).
Marian was the very first person to sign a block for my quilt project “Fall in Love with Books” (please see the Thank You Reward tab). Her book, Friends of Bear Creek is filled with warmth, humor and imagination. Friends of Bear Creek is available on Amazon.
Much more research is needed to understand, prevent and find a cure for Parkinson Disease. To learn more and to make a donation, here is the link. If you are a fist time donor, your contribution will be matched up to $10,000.
http://www.parkinsonsaction.org/