Paralyzed girl meets her new adorable golden retriever service dog
On June 7, Gayrene Meade received a heartbreaking call that her mother, daughter and uncle had been involved in a head-on collision.
Her uncle, Kenneth Graden, sadly passed away from his injuries. Her mother, Tanya, shattered her knee, and her daughter, Memphis Rose, suffered a punctured lung, a fractured and dislocated neck, and a broken spine.
Six-year-old Memphis went into cardiac arrest and was unable to move or breathe for nearly 3 minutes. The doctor began performing CPR at the scene until the air ambulance took her to the hospital.
Unfortunately, she would never recover from her spinal cord injury and would likely remain paralyzed. She has had spinal surgery and a tracheotomy and remains in a wheelchair because she cannot walk.
Memphis has always wanted a dog, and soon her dream will come true.
Lori Griffith, founder of the Chasin a Dream Foundation, which helps children with life-threatening illnesses, introduced Memphis to a golden retriever named Juliette.
When Griffith learned Memphis wanted a dog, she contacted her friends at Furry Friends Rescue Center and learned they had a confident, human puppy.
Now Juliet is in training to become Memphis Rose’s service dog, which will take about a year.
When Memphis Rose and Juliette first met outside St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. it was love at first sight.
«Juliette just took one look at Memphis Rose in her wheelchair and jumped into her lap, licking her and hugging her,» Meade told People. «My daughter is a dog lover and wants to be a vet. She was so happy to meet Juliette, she was smiling brighter than I’ve ever seen her, especially after she found out this loving puppy was being trained to become her service dog. It was a magical moment for me after an awful few weeks.»
Since then, the adorable duo has been able to see each other several times, and Juliette has even been able to accompany Memphis on a flight.
