I'm participating in DogFest DFW this year in honor of my previous service dog: Hanalei. The mission of Canine Companions is to provide expertly trained service dogs to adults, children, and veterans with disabilities FREE of charge and this mission truly has such a positive impact. I myself have experienced this positive impact through not only Hanalei, but also her successor Sota. This positive impact has led me to my career with Canine Companions and has allowed me the chance to give back and help others find their own indepenedence. 

I haven't always had my independence and I haven't always had the confidence I have today. Before Hanalei, I struggled to even order food myself due to the anxiety that my deafness would cause. I functioned well with my cochlear implants and people often couldn't tell that I was deaf the moment I began speaking. This led to many negative experiences of judgement when I would struggle to hear or try to explain myself. 

Around 2015, it was time for me to begin looking into going to college, which raised many questions of my safety. I still relied on my parents to be my alarm clocks, tornado sirens, and fire alarms. We tried many different types of adapative equipment, alarms that would make my parents think an earthquake was happening, strobes that were like the sun was flickering on and off, and more. None of them showed a reliable ability to work, especially in the middle of the night. It was starting to look like I wouldn't be able to find anything that would reliably work, until I discovered hearing dogs. When I first read about hearing dogs, I was skeptical on whether or not I truly needed one, as was my family. Then I began reading the stories of how they changed their handlers lives for the better. I began my search to see if I could find a way to get a hearing dog for myself. As my search began, my grandfather met someone that would change the trajectory of my entire life. My grandparents had recently moved to Danberry to be closer to us. One day, my grandfather met a puppy raiser, Christine McDonald. She shared with him all about Canine Companions and I went in and met with her as well. From that moment on, I knew that Canine Companions was where I was meant to apply. 

The application proces is a long one, but justifibly so. They learned everything about my lifestyle, my future plans, and what I hoped to gain in order to help them make the perfect match. The day I got the email to attend Team Training in May of 2017 is a day I will never forget. I was sitting in band class and happened to check my email during a break and there it was: my team training invitiation. I couldn't contain my joy and I rushed outside to call my parents. At first, my mom thought something was wrong, but before we knew it we were both screaming with joy over the phone. It was happening, I was getting my service dog. 

Plans were made and before we knew it, I was arriving in Orlando, FL and checking into the dorms. I met my classmates, who were all amazing people there to find their independence as well. We all connected over a shared goal and shared experiences. It felt like home throughout the entire two weeks and we all grew close, sharing dinners together, stories, laughing and crying together. The first two days were a whirlwind of working with different dogs, wondering who our match was going to be. Then came pre-match day. Going into pre-match day, I had a feeling I knew who my match was. There was a special yellow lab golden cross that just illuminated every room she walked into and brought so much joy. She bounced around doing her job, had tappy toes when showing the sound, and her tail never stopped. The moment Hanalei was announced as my pre-match, my life changed and I had found a light I never knew I was missing. With that light added into my life, I gained the confidence to find my voice and much more. 

This moment led to my entire life changing and led to me finding a passion: training animals and advocating for those with disabilities. It wouldn't be until a few years later that I discovered a way to truly combine those passions into my career working for Canine Companions. Hanalei is the reason that I have been able to move all the way to Texas completely independently so that I could pursue my dream of helping others find their independence just as I have. She not only opened so many doors, but bust them down for me so that I could do more than I ever thought possible. I learned so much from her that has helped me in everything I do. 

Hanalei and I shared so many years together, so many milestones, and more adventures than I could possibly put into words. She worked hard (and played hard too!) for an incredible eight years. I planned to share retirement with her for hopefully a few years, but she knew before I did that would not be the case. She unfortunately suddenly passed away in December shortly after I received my successor service dog, Sota. It truly seemed as though she was waiting to make sure I was taken care of before she was ready to go. 

I decided this year that it would be fitting to fundraise for DogFest in her memory. A chance to share some of the many adventures and memories that we had together for a good cause and to give back for everything that she gave to me. I am excited to go down memory lane with you all and give you all a look into the adventures and stories that I have to share from Hanalei's adventures with me! Help me get to my fundraising goal by donating online so we can help others find their own lights through these amazing service dogs. Your support in Hanalei's memory would mean the world to me and every litlte bit can help me reach my goal. Thank you and I hope to see many of you at DogFest this year!