Hi, my name is Michael, I am a 27 years mom of 2 boys, who has moved to MA USA from Israel 6 months ago. When I was 15
years my knee problems started. By the time I was 21 I was diagnosed with having Osteoarthritis. During all those years until I was
diagnosed, I have suffered from severe pains in my knees so debilitating that at my better days I used Canadian crutches and at
my worst I was using a wheelchair. After I was diagnosed and was advice to live in a house with no stairs, I have moved to a house
like that and over the years my pain has decreased dramatically. At 18.5 years old, while I was serving in the Israeli air force,
I was diagnosed with Epilepsy I had 2 types of seizures and up to 15 seizures a day. In Time and the proper medications my seizures
were under control, and I was 6 years almost seizure-free and off medications. On September 1998 I have decided to start working.
I thought I won't have a problem with that since I didn't have seizures. I have opened my own daycare and took care of 4 infants there.
Everything was going very well...up until January when all of a sudden my seizures have come back-full steam ahead. This time around
I had 3 kinds of seizures and many symptoms that made my life very difficult. I have stopped working and in June 1999 decided we should
move to the USA in order to find better treatment. In August 1999 we have moved. Many months have passed until I could have a health
insurance and here I am today having 5 types of seizures and many new symptoms to go along with them and doctors who are not sure what's wrong.
3 months ago, I have heard wonderful things about a service dog (for the second time in my life) and decided to get one.
After 2 months of searching for information, getting in argue with my landlady over having a dog in a non-pet apartment building, I got Shadow!
Shadow, then Called Maestro a 7 months old black Lab was a therapy dog. He worked with his breeder in a nursing home and made many people happy
(he even featured in the local newspaper in an article they wrote about him and his breeder) ...then he came to me. A beautiful big black Lab
wonderful temperament and very loving. In just a few weeks I managed to teach him to do all sorts of tasks in order to help me He became my
service dog, he became my friend and we became a Team: Here are some of the tasks Shadow does for me everyday:
* He picks up dropped items
* He carries things for me
* He helps me go up and down stairs
* He helps me get up of the floor or of a low couch
* He helps me keep my balance when walking
* He alerts me to seizures up to 10 minutes before they occur
* He still learning what to do when I get a seizure (call my husband, if he's at home, or stay by me until
I wake up) Shadow is a fast learner. Whatever I want him to do, he learns to do very fast. He is amazing! I am so glad
I had friends who told me what service-dogs are and what to do, They were the ones that made me think
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