'Dare to Care'
UPDATE ~
Chuck, affectionately renamed Chicho, is the unofficial therapy dog of Irving House. He has weekly
visits with Annie, an elderly woman confined to her home. He runs around on his four little legs until his tongue hangs out
of his mouth, then it's a quick two minute rest and then he's off the couch, yep, the couch! and he brings the lady his ball
and she rolls it across the floor and he brings it back and she rolls it again, you get the picture...And, then it's a quick
two minute rest, for them both, and then he's up and running across the floor and into the dining room where he'll make any
kind of noise to get her to get up and see what he's into. It's usually a shopping bag, or the laundry basket.
This might not sound like much to you, but this is a woman who has fought against
doing her physical therapy and seemed to be waiting to die on the couch.
Ready for the really good news? Four days ago, this woman, who has not been out of her house in months,
except for trips to the hospital or doctor's office, walked to the corner and back, and two days ago, she walked to a neighbor's
house half a block away and visited!
The moral?, the lesson?,
the point?...When you Dare to Care, good things happen...
MOST RECENTLY ~
Annie
is up, out and about! She goes to the bank, she has lunch with friends, she entertains in her home, she goes to the hairdresser,
and she even goes to Waldbaum's to do her own grocery shopping! It has been a true year of miracles and with much to
be thankful for, Annie is excitedly preparing her home for welcoming a houseful of guests for the upcoming holidays. She is
joyfully decorating and planning festive menus. She is busily handwriting cards and has even made plans for going to NYC's
Radio City Music Hall to see the Rocekette's Christmas Show in December! And to think, the first step on this miraculous road
to recovery all started with a small dog and his ball.
And yes, Chicho still
visits weekly. Annie greets him at the front door with a bright smile, a biscuit and a hug. And he even has his own little
doggie bed placed prominently in the corner of the dining room.
Dare
to Care and watch miracles unfold before your very eyes...