[bookshare-discuss] Re: O_T the Ankle, Guinevere, and life in general

  • From: "siss52" <siss52@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:16:39 -0500

Wow, Shelley!  I know what a challenge walking with a walker and cane is 
because my late hubby had to do it when he broke his hip.
I am sorry about Guinevere, but it sounds like you found a wonderful home 
for her.

The best of luck to you!!!

Sue S.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Shelley L. Rhodes" <guidinggolden@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 8:58 PM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] O_T the Ankle, Guinevere, and life in general


hi everyone, a lot of people have been asking so I reckon it is time to
share the story.
So if you don't want to read, well you know where the delete key is, and
absolutely this has nothing to do with Bookshare.  Well it does cause I have
more time to scan books.

On August 14, as I was leaving a customer/client's house, and attempted to
step onto some narrow concrete stairs with no railing I fell and broke my
ankle.  Well, let me make that a bit more clearly, i walked off into space
and fell.  There was a big cat laying at the top of the stairs, and
guinevere was concerned with the cat, not with her um job, and well....
Guinevere did the cardinal sin of guide dogs, that is not let the owner walk
off or into a drop off.  I stepped onto the stairs with my left foot and
stepped into air with the right and down I went.
Not knowing how far I was going to fall, I attempted to brace myself, bad
idea, and broke the ankle.

It is in a "air cast" meaning I can take it off to get  showers and to
sleep, thank goodness, but must keep it on other times of the day.  It is
soar sometimes, actually this week in particularly not quite sure why.

But I have been using a walker and a cane now four about four weeks, as of
last Friday, yep i count the days.  My next check up is the "six week" one
and is on September 30th.

Guinevere, along with this "mistake" has been a challenge for me for the
last year or so.  She is a shredder of paper, cloth, and tissue, a resource
guarder when it comes to toys snapping at customer's dogs, scavenger,
garbage can dog, and well, this was kind of the last straw, oh, she loves
cats and pet birds.

So Guinevere is retired, and lives in Seagertown, a place about a hour away.
She lives with a lady who is retired, and absolutely loves her as a pet.

So, I am waiting, for the ankle to heal, for my ability to walk to
redevelop, and I will be going back to get a new guide dog, and hopefully
can trust them, I have a feeling we are going to be doing a lot of stairs
while in training, smile, I have a feeling, I am going to be finding stairs
to do, smile.

But in the mean time, I can sit and scan.  My dad is retrieving my books
from the library, a favorite walking trip and I will do it as soon as I can,
smile, and well i scan them.

So not the callorber I was, but still keeping it up and busy.

But that is what has happened to me.  I got workman's compensation because
it happened on the job, in the field, and I have been now back to work for
two weeks.  Only office work, though which means I am going crazy, smile, I
mean how much paperwork can you do really!  But soon as the doc says I can i
will be back out in the trenches seeing my customers who have been so
patient with me, smile.  I did get to keep my sick leave, so will be using
that for Guide Dog training.

But that is what is happening to me.




Shelley L. Rhodes, M.A., VRT
And Guinevere: retired Guide Dog
guidinggolden@xxxxxxxxx
Guide Dogs for the Blind
Alumni Association
www.guidedogs.com

America has been called a melting pot, but it seems better to call it a
mosaic, for in it each nation, people or race which has come to its shores
has been privileged to keep its individuality, contributing at the same time
its share to the unified pattern of a new nation. -King Baudouin of Belgium
(1930-1993)

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