[nfbmi-talk] Blind Man, Guide Dog Safe After Subway Track Fall

[joe harcz Comcast]

Thanks Mark.


Other stories on this issue denote that contributions are pouring in to 
allow this man to keep Orlando.

Joe
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Eagle" <markaeagle at yahoo.com>
To: "NFB Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2013 1:44 PM
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Blind Man, Guide Dog Safe After Subway Track Fall


> NEW YORK (AP) -- Gallant guide dog Orlando was just doing his duty.
> The black Lab bravely leapt onto the tracks at a Manhattan subway platform 
> Tuesday after his blind owner lost consciousness and tumbled in front of 
> an oncoming train.
> Cecil Williams, 61, and Orlando both escaped serious injury when the train 
> passed over top of them - a miraculous end to a harrowing ordeal that 
> began when Williams began to feel faint on his way to the dentist.
> "He tried to hold me up," an emotional Williams told The Associated Press 
> from his hospital bed, his voice breaking at times.
> Witnesses said Orlando began barking frantically and tried to stop 
> Williams from falling from the platform. Matthew Martin told the New York 
> Post that Orlando jumped down and tried to rouse Williams even as a train 
> approached.
> "He was kissing him, trying to get him to move," Martin said.
> Witnesses called for help and the train's motorman slowed his approach as 
> Williams and Orlando lay in the trench between the rails.
> "The dog saved my life," Williams said.
> As Williams regained consciousness, he said he heard someone telling him 
> to be still. Emergency workers put him on a stretcher and pulled him from 
> the subway, and made sure Orlando was not badly injured.
> "I'm feeling amazed," Williams said. "I feel that God, the powers that be, 
> have something in store for me. They didn't take me away this time. I'm 
> here for a reason."
> Williams was taken to a hospital where he is expected to recover, with 
> Orlando at his bedside. Williams, a large bandage on his head, said he is 
> not sure why he lost consciousness, but he is on insulin and other 
> medications.
> Orlando, described by Williams as serious but laid-back, was making new 
> friends at the hospital. He will be rewarded with some kind of special 
> treat, Williams said, along with plenty of affection and scratches behind 
> the ears.
> "(He) gets me around and saves my life on a daily basis," Williams said.
> Williams, of Brooklyn, has been blind since 1995, and Orlando is his 
> second dog. The lab will be 11 on Jan. 5, and will be retiring soon, 
> Williams said. His medical benefits will cover a new guide dog but won't 
> pay for a non-working dog, so he'll be looking for a good home for 
> Orlando.
> If he had the money, Williams said, "I would definitely keep him."
> _______________________________________________
> nfbmi-talk mailing list
> nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nfbmi-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/joeharcz%40comcast.net