This weekend marked a milestone in my girl’s life, the milestone that says she is ready, willing and able to embark on her own career. Or at least know that she can.
On Saturday, 2 lovely young women and their mothers flew in from Utah to present Pawsitive Teams with a check for the full placement fee for Mary’s dog, Atti. You see, these brilliant, motivated young ladies saw the enormous benefits that Sunny, Tabitha’s service dog have given to her and they set out to raise money and awareness so that other young people could have service dogs too.
At the ripe old ages of 14 and 15, Tabitha and her friend Morgan have formed a 501c3 non-profit organization called Pawsitive Possibilities. As if that’s not enough, Tabitha has Muscular Dystrophy. She uses her service dog for balance when she walks.
Tabitha and Mary Katherine have much in common, and it was amazing to watch this friendship blossom as they shared joys and experiences with dogs and challenged bodies and school. They have the same orthopedic surgeon and got to share with someone who really gets what it’s like to have multiple surgeries and power through them and the recovery. For them, the going is often tough.
Falling and awkward walking, being different and having pain, managing a service dog, but mostly laughing and finding happiness in the midst of it…that’s what these young women had to share.
Tabitha inspired Mary. She inspired her to go out and do stuff anyway. At 14, the same age, both of these special girls are inspiring those around them by giving back just by being themselves. Tabitha and Morgan have taken it further by reaching out into the community and paying it forward by sponsoring service dogs for young people, a huge step for anyone, muchness a couple of teenagers.
They want Mary Katherine to come to Utah to speak and she wants to go. Sharing her life, her experiences, and her dog is enough. She inspires just by showing up and speaking from her heart.
Maybe this is her future, maybe not, but for now, speaking makes her feel good, like she is part of something bigger. She is giving of herself, and for a person who has been given to all her physical life, this is an enormous and wondrous step.
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