“The first moment was magic.”
When Lillie was going into fifth grade, life was her biggest unknown. “We had so many medical unknowns and were looking at so many limitations,” her mom Jessica remembers. “A friend of mine is a teacher and has had students with 4 Paws dogs in her class and told us firsthand the difference they made.”
In 2018, Lillie met Shadow in what was a truly magical moment. “He showed his personality right away and instantly laid next to Lillie. He already knew who his person was and acted like he had known her forever. It was like he was as happy to see us as we were him,” Jessica says.
“It was only the beginning.”
Living up to his name, Shadow has been by Lillie’s side and continues to help and celebrate every new milestone Lillie breaks.
“She no longer fears needles/medical procedures. She is independent and more confident. She would not be comfortable being on her own before him, which isn’t great for growing up. Taking care of him has helped her not focus on herself and her own challenges as much.”
Jessica says even her doctor takes Shadow’s behavior into account when making decisions because Shadow is so consistent with the seizure alerts.
“Once in the eighth grade she had a seizure in the bathroom and hit her head,” Jessica says. “Shadow laid on her until she realized something was wrong, then got up and went across the hall to retrieve the school counselor to help.”
Jessica says “We have countless stories and their bond has grown and he has developed new skills based on her needs, such as alerting to heart rate and blood sugar changes. Now she wears ankle foot orthoses and he can tether on her waist and she doesn’t need a cane. She lost her hearing, and he will even nudge her if he hears someone say her name over and over.”
Not only has Lillie grown closer to Shadow, but she’s also grown as a person. “We met Shadow in 2018, now, six years later, she is entering the eleventh grade, has won awards in our community for advocacy, takes honors classes, and is starting to consider where she is going for college.”
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