Woman and Guide Dog in harness walking along path.

The gift of freedom and independence, through a remarkable Guide Dog named Ginny.

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11 March, 2022

Woman patting her Guide Dog with grass and trees in the background.

Joanne was in her late 50s when she realised something was wrong. Very wrong. The bright and intelligent teacher had become increasingly worried. “I was getting very forgetful and to be honest, I feared I might have early onset dementia.”

On a whim, she walked into a medical clinic. She was a new patient and the doctor who attended her asked about her family’s medical history. When Joanne revealed that her mother had passed away from a brain tumour, the GP took note. Joanne would later discover that her new GP had practiced as an Oncologist before she emigrated to Australia from Pakistan.

The alert GP had picked up on some subtle signs, like patterns in Joanne’s speech that made her wonder what was happening in her brain.

The diagnosis, when it came, was shocking. Joanne had a rare brain tumour that impacted the lobes in her brain responsible for vision and other key functions, such as processing information about taste, touch and movement. While the diagnosis was indeed shocking, Joanne was strangely elated.

“I know it sounds weird, but I almost had this happy party for about four days because I have done some work with dementia patients and I know it’s a horrible disease. So, after hearing the news, I came out of there feeling quite elated. ‘Yay, I don’t have dementia!’ I remember thinking.

It wasn’t until I woke up on day four that I thought: ‘Oh, hang on. I’ve got a brain tumour’.” 

What followed was a roller coaster of emotions, surgery and rehabilitation. When Joanne awoke from surgery, she had lost her sight. Because the tumour was in her occipital lobe, she’d prepared herself for some vision loss and perhaps other minor issues, but nothing like this. Never in her wildest imagination, she says, could she have foreseen that the operation would be the reason she would one day turn to Guide Dogs WA for help.

“I expected to wake up and be fitted with glasses and carry on. I had no idea I’d lose my sight and get a brain injury out of it. I was probably told: I just didn’t comprehend it because I had the tumour.”

Joanne would spend four weeks in ICU and six weeks in rehab: having to relearn the most basic functions. “I’d forgotten everything. I didn’t know how to feed myself, dress myself, or do anything.”

Life post-surgery was tough. Previously, Joanne had been a fiercely independent spirit. She travelled extensively overseas with her two daughters and four grandchildren. Life had been busy and she had been full of confidence: but now, her world became smaller. ‘Claustrophobic’ is how she describes it.

“I just didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything. I had no confidence,” she explains.

“I felt vulnerable, I guess. I tried with a white cane for a while, but I’d be walking and just hearing wind in the trees would trigger a panic attack. Who’s-coming-up-behind-me? kind of reaction.”

Yellow labrador in harness.Then last year, thanks to the kindness and generosity of people like you, Joanne received her Guide Dog Ginny. And Ginny has changed her whole world.

Joanne says her loyal Guide Dog has given her back her confidence, and so much more.

“She helped me come out of my shell because I had become quite introverted following surgery. I mean, when I’m out and about, Ginny is such an ice-breaker: people come up to me all the time and start chatting and asking about Ginny. So, she’s helped me socially in many ways.”

When we asked Joanne what she would say to people who donate to train Guide Dogs like Ginny, she had to compose herself before answering.

“Oh, thinking about that – their generosity – it makes me very emotional,” Joanne finally answered.

“The difference they make to someone’s life is absolutely amazing! Without Ginny, I would still be that person who wasn’t game to leave the house. Ginny has changed all that. So, the donations from people who support Guide Dogs WA: they are more than doing good. They’re life-changing. Getting a Guide Dog really is life-changing. It’s pretty much all I can say about that.”

Please donate today and make life-changing dreams come true for more Western Australians on our wait list.

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