Feature Stories

Kelli Heimerl & Mobility Assist Dog Justeen Kelli Heimerl of Chaska, Minn. had been searching for the official diagnosis to her symptoms for a long time. She started to notice little things 17 years ago. It began when she simply felt a “little off” in various ways, but she couldn’t quite put the pieces together. Six years ago significant tremors and muscles shakes began. After consulting with various doctors the official cause still couldn’t be determined. It took four more years before the official diagnosis was reached—Parkinson’s disease. Despite struggling daily with balance, fogginess, and muscles contortions, Kelli has kept …

Isaiah Kramer & Mobility Assist Dog Leo                Cheerful, animated, and vibrant—eleven-year-old Isaiah Kramer of Savage, Minn. is not someone you would ever believe struggles with having enough energy. But Isaiah has muscular dystrophy. Together Isaiah, his parents and two siblings work as a team to manage the difficulties his diagnosis poses. Muscular dystrophy is a progressive, musculoskeletal disease that weakens skeletal muscle and causes balance issues, limited energy and the inevitable loss of mobility in the legs and arms. Isaiah was diagnosed at birth and continues to experience decreased energy, balance and mobility in a variety of everyday situations. In …

Amanda Mollner & Mobility Assist Dog Phyllis Age 18 is a magic number. It represents freedom, independence and the forging of one’s own path. It’s a time in someone’s life when the world begins to open up with a wide array of possibilities. But for Amanda Mollner of Woodbury, Minn., she found her world closing in. At age 18, Amanda began having confusing and disturbing episodes of dizziness. Sometimes she merely felt off-balance. Other times she felt as if she were spinning, while in fact, she was standing still. There were incidents when the ringing in her ears was so …

Alan Burggraf & Diabetes Assist Dog Oz “Diabetes runs through my family,” Alan Burggraf explains. “My grandmother had it—even my first cousin had it.” So when Alan of Coon Rapids, Minn. was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 14, it didn’t come as a big surprise. He says his parents could even tell he had the disease before he went to the doctor. But the last 44 years with the disease have taken its toll. Alan has developed diabetic neuropathy in his hands and is now unable to work.  “It gets worse every year,” Alan says. “My blood sugar …

Sarah Lawrence & Diabetes Assist Dog Lucy Imagine not being able to identify when you need medication to keep you from getting sick. How would you cope? Would your family worry about your welfare if they couldn’t be close? Likely you would struggle to maintain your independence and your family would be continually concerned about your wellbeing. This was the situation facing Sarah Lawrence of Viroqua, Wis. Sarah works at a local nursing home as a Certified Nursing Assistant. A vibrant young woman, she has type 1 diabetes and hypoglycemic unawareness. People like Sarah oftentimes no longer experience the warning …

Lawrence Endres & Mobility Assist Dog Sierra When Lawrence Endres began the application process with Can Do Canines for an assistance dog, he didn’t realize he would wait nearly two years to be partnered with Sierra. He so excited about the prospect, as his wife Joleen testifies, that he would call for a status update every month. Lawrence’s excitement began when he personally witnessed how amazing a Can Do Canine can be. One day at the West St. Paul Library he saw a gentleman with an assistance dog in tow and was compelled to ask for more information. The man …

Ethan Schmidt & Autism Assist Dog Noble Amy Schmidt vividly remembers trying to run a quick errand at Target with her elementary-age son Ethan. Ethan was content in the car as they were moving, but the moment she parked, and Ethan had a chance to see where they were, he began kicking and screaming and having a meltdown. When Ethan becomes frustrated, he lashes out, hitting and biting himself and others. He has difficulty transitioning from place to place and his interactions with people—especially in public places—creates a lot of stress. “For a few years, I couldn’t even take him …

This past winter, Paul Chavez was at his house in Mequon, Wis. for at least 10 minutes washing dishes when his fiancé Cate came home to the sound of the sump pump alarm blasting loudly throughout the home. The pipes had frozen and Paul was completely unaware there was an alarm blaring. Their basement was flooding, soiling boxes filled with their possessions from their recent move. Paul has been having difficulty with his hearing for 15 years. Unable to hear most doorbells, telephone rings and alarms, Paul resorted to wearing hearing aids with little benefit. Unfortunately, recently his hearing loss …

Holly Arnold-Rains & Mobility and Seizure Assist Dog Link After raising three children, mourning the loss of two husbands, and dealing with spinal meningitis and unmanageable seizures for most her life, it’s Holly’s turn to be cared for. That’s why Holly and Mobility and Seizure Assist Dog Link make such a great pair. Holly Arnold-Rains of St. Anthony, Minn. has a complicated history of stroke and seizures. Her symptoms have become difficult to control and manage over time and a variety of chronic issues have developed. Holly’s main problem is balance. She’s broken her wrist falling down stairs and relies …

Matthew LaMott & Austim Assist Dog Lloyd “It’s a whole new world being out there with him. In the three weeks since Lloyd came to live with us we have seen amazing things.” Christine LaMott says about her seven year-old son Matthew. Four years ago Christine’s mother called her and told her to watch a news story about Can Do Canines helping children with autism—children like Matthew. Watching carefully, she felt like they were taking a page out of her family playbook. Meltdowns, bolting away, and poor communication were all part of Christine, father Jonathan and big sister Molly’s everyday …