Qantas is Making Life Easier for Bethany

By Beth Billstrom - 

In 2022, Bethany experienced a horrifying seizure brought on by a stroke. Unbelievably, her then five-year-old daughter was home and knew how to call EMS. Bethany states, “She helped me through until the emergency medical team arrived. I’m so grateful to her, but she’s a child. I needed a different plan.”

Although she feels lucky that her husband and daughter are willing to help her, she knows her conditions are stressful for them, too. “They always worry about me,” admits Bethany. “They need to go to work and school, so being left by myself is scary for everyone.”

Bethany learned of Can Do Canines through social media and considers the discovery a “tremendous blessing,” explaining, “My seizures are considered non-epileptic. Can Do Canines is special because they approve assistance dogs for people with seizure disorders not related to epilepsy.”

The moment she met Seizure Assist Dog Qantas, she knew they would make a great team. “Everything changed for the better! We have a great connection.” That connection includes the many ways they work together to minimize Bethany’s fears. She notes, “I’m not afraid to be alone anymore,” she says. “That’s a huge change. Qantas knows how to retrieve my emergency phone for me. If I have a seizure and someone’s home, Qantas will go get them. If no one is home, Qantas stays with me and licks my face and hands to keep me conscious. He will bring pillows to support my head and neck during the seizure and bottles of water to drink when the seizure is over. It’s amazing.”

Additionally, Bethany was born with Loeys-Dietz syndrome, a rare connective tissue disorder. She says, “Every day I struggle with pain and sickness because my body is unable to hold itself together . . . Simple tasks become high-risk episodes. I can’t bend my knees to pick up dropped items because my knees are permanently dislocated. When bending, my hips and spine will dislocate and subluxate.”

Bethany’s yellow Lab can also lend a paw for her mobility needs. “Qantas will pick up items and place them in my hand. That means my body doesn’t need to bend at all. Daily walking is essential for me, but also scary because I don’t want to fall.” That fear is minimized since she and Qantas walk together.

Bethany recognizes other benefits Qantas brings to her life, as well. “I’m no longer a prisoner in my bed. Qantas gives me independence and freedom. He also gives my husband and daughter peace of mind. That makes our life easier.” She acknowledges, “Thank you, Can Do Canines, for giving us these special gifts. We wouldn’t have them if it wasn’t for all the time, energy, and work you put into preparing [these] dogs.”
She concludes, “Thanks to Qantas, my life is so much different now.”

 

Thank you to all those who made this partnership possible:
Whelping Home — Karin & Elroy Balgaard
Raisers — The Patterson Family, Stephanie Scott
Special Thanks — Federal Correctional Institution - Waseca, University of Minnesota FETCH Program