THE FIDELCO GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION, INC.
103 Old Iron Ore Road, Bloomfield, Conn. 06002
www.fidelco.org
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Date: June 14, 2010
Contact: Jack Hayward
860-243-4800
THE FIDELCO GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION, INC. PLACES GERMAN SHEPHERD GUIDE DOG WITH
WOUNDED IRAQ WAR VETERAN
U.S. Air Force Tech Sergeant Matthew Slaydon Completing Training in Phoenix, AZ
Bloomfield, Conn.--The Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, Inc. (Fidelco) is working with its newest client Sgt. C. Matthew Slaydon, USAF (ret.) to provide him with a German shepherd guide dog. In October of 2007, Slaydon was investigating a roadside improvised explosive device in Kirkuk when it exploded two feet from his face. His injuries included a mangled left arm that was immediately amputated, a shattered face with the total loss of vision in both eyes, a collapsed lung and traumatic brain injury. Slaydon spent 15 months recovering from his injuries with the constant attention of Annette, his wife, and was medically retired from the United States Air Force on August 27, 2009.Now equipped with a prosthetic left arm and hand and a fierce desire to regain independence and mobility, Slaydon applied for, and is now training with “Legend,” a Fidelco guide dog.
“When Matthew learned about Fidelco at a Blinded Veterans Conference in Phoenix, he immediately knew that only a Fidelco German shepherd guide dog was right for him,” said Eliot D. Russman, CEO and executive director of the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation. “Matthew is a true American hero and we are honored to serve a person who gave his all in defense of our country.”
Slaydon’s placement is unusual for Fidelco in a number of ways. Fidelco would normally rely solely on its pioneering In-community Placement process to train the client with his new guide dog in the community where he lives and works. Because of his specialized need, Slaydon was brought to Fidelco’s campus in Bloomfield, Connecticut so that a number of trainers and support staff could work directly with him. His arrival in Connecticut capped a long dialogue with his rehabilitation specialists, including a prosthesis expert, to find a harness and handle that could be used with a prosthetic left hand, as Slaydon wanted to keep his “good” right hand free for normal activities. Slaydon spent a week in Connecticut and will now complete his placement with a Fidelco trainer in his hometown of Phoenix, AZ.
“When I met the Fidelco staff at a Blinded Veterans conference in Phoenix, I immediately knew that I needed one of their German shepherd guide dogs,” said Slaydon. “Now that I’m training with Legend, I’m beginning to see a glimmer of hope that I’ll actually be able to meet my new goals of education and success in my life.”
The Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Bloomfield, Conn., breeds, trains and places its own, unique type of German shepherd guide dogs with people who have visual disabilities. It pioneered In-community Placement in the United States; a process that allows guide dog users to be trained in the communities where they live and work. Now in its 50th year of service, Fidelco relies solely on the gifts and the generosity of individuals, foundations, corporations and civic organizations that partner with us to “Share the Vision.”
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