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Doggie Brigade makes therapy visits
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
Photo
Delyon Jordan, a senior at Austintown Fitch High School, has a big smile for Jack, a therapy dog and a member of Akron Children’s Hospital of the Mahoning Valley’s new Doggie Brigade. Delyon, 17, is being treated for sickle-cell anemia.
BOARDMAN
It was smiles all around — and a wagging tail to boot — as Jack the therapy dog eagerly hopped onto Delyon Jordan’s bed at Akron Children’s Hospital here and tried to lick her face.
It was clear that Jack, a 2-year-old Labrador mix rescued from the street by his owner/trainer, Lisa Connell of Newton Falls, enjoyed the meeting this week; and so did Delyon.
Jack is one of three dogs certified by the Delta Society, a national nonprofit organization that establishes standards for therapy dogs, to be part of Boardman Akron Children’s Doggie Brigade.
Some 80 people responded to the call for dogs, but only three got through the stringent training, said Annamarie Sofran, Akron Children’s spokeswoman.
Connell took Jack to the Youngstown All-Breed Training Club in North Jackson for training for herself and her dog, and they go back once a week for support training.
Tuesday was Jack’s third therapy visit.
“It’s very satisfying. No one wants to be in a hospital, especially a kid. When Jack comes in, he brings a smile to their faces and makes them forget where they are for a minute,” Connell said.
Delyon agrees.
“I really like it when dogs visit. It takes your mind off reality,” said the 17-year-old Austintown Fitch High School senior who is planning to study pre-med at the University of Akron.
Reality for Delyon is sickle- cell anemia, a genetic blood disease caused by an abnormal form of hemoglobin, which is the molecule in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. She was diagnosed at age 2.
In the United States, sickle-cell disease occurs in about one in every 500 African-American births and one in every 1,000 to 1,400 Hispanic-American births, according to the MedicineNet.com website.
Delyon is the daughter of Debra and Albert Jordan. Her brother, Blake, 14, does not have the disease.
The high school is awesome in helping Delyon when she needs it, and she is an excellent student, said her mother.
Delyon, who was in the hospital Tuesday to be hydrated and for pain medication because of a sickle-cell crisis, has been going to hospitals for years, first at Tod Children’s Hospital and now to Akron Children’s.
“She has transfusions every four weeks. When she was younger, we came to the hospital once a year. But as she moved toward adolescence, the visits became more frequent,” Debra said.
DeAnne Bunevich, certified child life specialist at Akron Children’s, says the therapy dog visits leave an impression after they are gone.
The children and staff talk about the visit and look forward to the dog’s return.