Michaun and Guide Dog Nico

Michaun has seen a lot in her life. As a respiratory therapist and member of the trauma team for the ICU in the Army, stationed stateside and abroad, she has seen much suffering. But now she is dealing with a loss of her own, that of her sight.
After she contracted a resistant strain of tuberculosis, the medications she was on were toxic to her optic nerve and retinas. While going through mobility training at the VA, her instructor suggested getting a guide dog.

So here she is, now matched up with a striking yellow Lab named Nico. When Michaun first thought about coming for training, she wondered what could possibly be taught over 26 days…now that she has made it through, she understands that you can’t be taught to work as a cohesive team in just a few days.
On returning home, Michaun is looking forward to getting out and shopping on her own, but more importantly, she is looking forward to not having her 11 year-old son worry about her safety when she is out. And as an Army veteran of 13 years, she also plans a trip to DC to visit the veteran’s memorial and Martin Luther King Jr. memorial and we have no doubt Nico will be happy to guide her there.

Images and biography courtesy of Southeastern Guide Dogs