[nagdu] Introduction

[melissa R green]

welcome to the list Mary.
I am also a GdF grad.
Hope that you and your new companion will be a partner for a long time.
Just like me and my Pj.
Melissa and Pj
Facebook: Melissa R Green
Nobody is in charge of your happiness except you!


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "mary wurtzel" <marywurtzel at att.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 5:06 AM
Subject: [nagdu] Introduction


Hello list,
My name is Mary Wurtzel, and I just joined this list.
I have a male black lab named Felix who is a balance dog as well
as a guide dog.  I went to the Guide Dog Foundation last
February.  As far as I know, this is the only guide dog schl that
trains dogs specifically to help with balance issues.
I have been falling when walking for many years.  It would happen
if I hit a particularly big crack inthe sidewalk, or if I got too
close to the edge of the walk and hit a large edge down.  The
falling became worse,  to the point that I feared falling more
and more.
I tried to get a guide dog in 2004 but was not allowed to stay at
the schl and graduate.   The good thing that came out of this
horrible experience was that I discovered the reason for my
falling.
I am blind because of being a premie, and I also have very mild
cereberal Palsy.
I have had this difficulty all my life and was never diagnosed.
I grew up thinking I was just uncoordinated.  I worked ten times
harder just to become an alternate cheer leader.
Sorry for such a long story, but now I can walk again all by
myself.  I am going quite fast, too.  Anyone who may know a
person like my husband, Fred, knows there are some cane users who
are very confident and walk very very fast.  I was always being
left inthe dust.  Well, now Felix and I can give Fred   a bit of
a run for his  money!!!
Fred would never never have a guide  dog,  so blind people can
have differences of opinion on the travel mode and still live
together in harmony!! It will be thirty-six years on December
4th.
I will cut this epistle a bit short.  I have already found the
list ideas interesting.
We will be forming a guide dog division at our state convention
here in Michigan in a little over a week.
I am sure this list will provide us with issues which we can work
on.
Thank you.

Sincerely,
Mary Wurtzel

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