Making His World Light Again

In 2010, Jeff Hawkins hit the lowest point in his life after an inherited form of juvenile macular degeneration left him blind. His vision loss ended a vibrant 30-year career as a paramedic. Surrendering his driver’s license and life of adventure further hampered his confidence. “I honestly never thought that my life would ever return to normal,” Jeff said. “I never thought I'd get back to who I really was.”

Things turned around for Jeff when he learned about the free services provided by Leader Dogs for the Blind. He recalls anxiously waiting to meet his first guide dog when “in came the beautiful yellow Labrador, Gracie. She licked and she spun and licked the tears off my face.”

Learning to work with Gracie was a fantastic experience. After about six months “I got to the point where I didn’t even think about this dog on my side,” Jeff said. “I mean, it’s just incredible. I could just walk with my head up.” He was once again living an amazing life, including snow skiing, ice hockey, travel and wilderness backpacking.

After eight years together, Jeff noticed that Gracie started to bump into him while walking. Gracie was losing her eyesight. Sadly, Jeff knew it was time for her to retire. Without Gracie by his side, his fears of going out and being around people were coming back to him. In February, he returned to Leader Dogs for the Blind to meet and train with his new guide dog, Loki. “It’s an unbelievable feeling to see the light at the end of the dark tunnel and know that things are going to be alright again, and I’m going to find myself again,” Jeff said.

He leads both by words and actions, as an example of a person who is blind living an independent, active, successful and extremely enjoyable life.

Your gift helps provide a life of independence and mobility for people like Jeff. To learn how you can make a difference in their lives, contact Lora Cabarios at 248.650.7109 or lora.cabarios@leaderdog.org.