Pros and Cons: Life-changing Decisions

“John is the most consistently happy person I’ve ever met,” said his wife Joanne. “But for a couple of days, he was unusually quiet. He was ‘off.’” John Morawski’s introspection was well-justified. While running for his commuter train and without his white cane, he fell from a six-foot platform, down between two train cars and onto the tracks. “The conductors were scared,” he said. “I was embarrassed.”

His embarrassment, avoiding serious injury and Joanne’s concern about his commuting alone, led to a defining moment in his life. It was then that he and Joanne began to think seriously about getting a guide dog. It was his first step toward partnering with “Gump,” his Fidelco guide dog.

It took John more than a year and a chance encounter before he made his final decision. “We went to a National Federation of the Blind meeting and I saw this person across the room,” said Joanne. “I told John, ‘I’m going to talk to this guy because he reminds me so much of you and he has this really happy dog with him.’” It was Bill Cuttle, a Fidelco client, and his guide dog “Zach.” “He was so gracious and told us how glad he was that we came to talk to him. Watching the two of them just gave me hope; like this would be so great for John. We ended up going to dinner with him and his wife to see how the dog worked.”

As an active person, independence is very important to John and he worried about being encumbered by a guide dog. But after carefully weighing the pros and cons, including how a guide dog would affect his home-life and career, he asked Joanne what she thought. Her response? “It’s entirely up to you.” His response? “I’m going to get a guide dog.”

That life-changing decision eventually led him to contact Fidelco. And a short time later, John and Gump were introduced. “He’s bigger than we anticipated,” laughs John.“I like the fact that he’s a big dog and every day is a learning experience.” Likewise, Joanne is excited that Gump is now part of the family. “Gump does whatever John wants. He’s a great dog!

The kids (Alexia who is seven and Brenda who is nine) just fell in love with him. He is a huge part of our family. And when he comes home from work with dad, it’s a big deal.” Today, John and Gump commute safely each day to his job as a financial adviser and his new-found freedom has opened up the world for him. Before Gump, John was not able to travel alone to visit his extended family or for work. Now he says, “If I had to travel somewhere, I could do it. Knowing that the ability is there is a rewarding feeling.”

As for Joanne, she says, “Gump takes good care of John. It’s an enormous relief for me.”

There are many other people like John who are currently accepted and waiting to experience the freedom and independence that comes from partnering with a Fidelco guide dog. Help them realize their dreams by mailing your donation to the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, 103 Old Iron Ore Rd., Bloomfield, CT 06002 or online at www.fidelco.org.