Girl, 10, pays it forward thanks to canine companion
By Mike Ramczyk
Staff Writer
Deb Dahl isn’t exactly sure how many bones her daughter has broken during her short life.
“We kind of stopped counting,” the Burlington resident said.
Deb’s daughter, Eve, 10, has suffered more than 75 fractures due to a bone disease called osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disorder.
Walking was, and is, a big challenge, and moving around with a walker at 3-foot-8 – often 6 to 7 inches shorter than her friends – singles out Eve and even causes her to be bumped into or knocked over in public.
In January 2017, Eve’s life changed forever.
Thanks to the Service Dog Project, Eve met Finn, and the two have been inseparable since.
“We went to meet a bunch of dogs, and Finn seemed to like me,” Eve said Tuesday afternoon. “The next day, we came back and he laid down next to me.”
Deb and Eve were looking for a viable way to improve Eve’s mobility, and often people will have to pay thousands of dollars before receiving a dog.
But Eve got lucky. She was offered Finn in exchange for the promise of giving back to the community, or paying it forward.
What started as an initial goal to raise $1,000 to return to SDP has turned into $3,000, and Deb couldn’t be more proud of her little girl.
“She rolls with the punches,” Deb said. “Finn gives her safety, even just by standing next to her. Eve doesn’t have the hand and arm strength to use the walker in public. Finn is a service dog in so many ways, a real best friend for life.”
Finn wears a special harness with straps near the neck, allowing Eve to grip the harness and walk steady around people, or other unstable situations.
Cheerleader at heart
If Eve has a choice of where she walks, it’s on a cheerleading mat.
Last year, when Eve’s older sister Erin was on the Burlington High School Cheer squad, Deb helped out as an assistant coach, and Eve called herself “the cheerleader for the cheerleaders.”
Briita Welch, now in her third season as head coach, said Eve wasn’t satisfied with just watching the others at a recent cheer clinic.
“She did a forward roll, and backward roll and a handstand,” Welch said. “The girls even held her up in the air at shoulder level for a move. Eve was determined no matter what.”
“She’s an amazing, amazing girl. She’s blessed us, and we wanted to bless her back.”
For Eve, who travels in a wheelchair, her bone condition isn’t a bad thing. She looks at the positives in life, and tries to use it to inspire others.
“Yes, sometimes I feel sad or different, but I’ve lived with it my whole life,” Eve said. “Every time I break a bone, it makes me stronger.”
“I want people to know it doesn’t limit everything you do. You can still do things you love.”
To read the entire story, see the Aug. 30 edition of the Burlington Standard Press.
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