Life after the injury isn’t easy for Matt. “It’s a massive adjustment,” said Matt. “It still hasn’t sunk in that I’m not in the service. It will probably be like that for the rest of my life.”Matt says the toughest part of his injury is, “The loss of my career. That I can’t go [to Iraq] any more.” Matt was injured during his third tour and his EOD Unit is heading out for what would have been Matt’s fifth tour. He planned to retire after 30 years of service, but his injury cut his service in the Air Force short – to 16 and a half years.
The best part? “Learning how many people really do love me. Things like this bring out the best and the worst in people. You find out who your friends are,” said Matt. “It’s like when you need to move a couch. You find out who’s really your friend if they’ll help you out and this is a really big couch to move.”Matt doesn’t waste any time wondering why he was injured. “Maybe it’s just that I’ve seen a lot of crazy stuff. I’ve seen a lot of bad stuff happen to good people and a lot of good stuff happen to bad people. I don’t need to know why. It’s up to the mechanic, the master planner of the universe.”
So how does a wounded Airman from Phoenix, Arizona, find his way to Connecticut? The answer is Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, a non-profit guide dog school based out of Bloomfield. Fidelco, celebrating its 50th anniversary, pioneered In-Community Placement, a process that allows guide dog users to stay in their own home, their own community, and be trained. “I first met Fidelco at the Blind Veterans Association conference. I talked to the staff at the Fidelco booth. I also met several veterans wounded before me who received guide dogs from Fidelco,” said Matt. “Fidelco is the only one that does home placement. Having them help me learn in my own area makes a lot of sense.”
Another reason Matt chose Fidelco for his guide dog was his love of German Shepherds – the only dogs that Fidelco breed and train as guide dogs. “I planned to get a Shepherd when I retired. They always impressed me. They are beautiful and smart dogs. I figured if I’m going to have one now, I may as well get what I always wanted.”
Fidelco paired Matt with his guide dog, Legend. “Together, Legend and I are highly functional. It’s only been a couple of days, but imagine what it is going to be like in a couple of years,” said Matt. “This is the first time I can get out and walk without hanging on to someone.”“The motivating factor to getting a guide dog now is to be independent as possible. Returning to school is now a possibility. I hope to return to finish my Bachelors this fall, if not, at least in the spring,” said Matt. “Having Legend facilitates this process and I can focus that much more on school.”
Matt hopes to become a clinical psychologist for the VA. “I can’t fight with boots and bullets like I used to, but I can help to screw their heads on straight. It’s still winning the war. Like I say, there’s a lot more to it than what happens at the sharp end,” said Matt. “I think it will help with my own Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by helping others deal with theirs.”More and more soldiers are returning with PTSD. “There are an increased number of vets that sustained injury. I would have died in any other conflict,” said Matt. “People ask, ‘What’s up with PTSD?’ The answer is they would have died normally.”
Normally, Fidelco relies solely on their In-Community Placement, but Matt’s situation was unique enough to warrant bringing him to Connecticut to work directly with a number of trainers and support staff, then continue training in Arizona. To keep his “good” hand free, Matt is learning to hold Legend’s leash with his prosthetic left hand; a task that required a lot of research and development on the part of Fidelco. Their rehabilitation specialist, include a prosthesis expert, worked with Matt to find the right combination of harness and handle that Matt could use.
http://www.eing.com/blog/index.php
Subject: Re: The right combination of harness 
Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:11 pm
