Deanna and Bruno
A former Erlanger Health System employee with a very special need this Christmas season got her wish granted.
It came with the help of Erlanger's Jed Mescon, who for many years helped community members from his TV and radio broadcasts.
Mr. Mescon said, "Just out of the blue, I received this email from a former Erlanger employee’s husband. I started out last week circulating their story. This past Monday, I received word that all the money was raised to bring Bruno home forever."
Mr. Mescon also said he had not realized that service dogs are used for Alzheimer’s patients.
This is the email he received from the husband of Deanna Lewis, longtime Erlanger employee:
"This is my wife Deanna Lewis who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in October of 2017. Deanna worked at Erlanger for 16 years in the physical therapy department. After losing her income things drastically changed for our family.
"Deanna now has a dog that will become her service dog but we have to come up with funds for the training. We found a place through a wounded veteran here in Chattanooga that trained his dog. Off leash k9 will be doing the training for Bruno. Service dog training can run upwards of $10,000, but they are going to work with Bruno for $2,800. We have til the end of the month to raise the funds or she will lose her place in the program.
"Bruno will be trained for several things which include stability to keep her from falling. Bruno will be able to open doors and other everyday things she needs. Since all of this has taken place Deanna has become very depressed and has bed anxiety. So Bruno will also be trained to recognize when she may becoming anxious and will be able to calm her down. He will also have a GPS device on his vest in case she becomes disoriented or separated from family members.
"I’ve worked on the ambulance for many years. Since this has taken place I have been at home caring for Deanna. We both have spent years taking care of others and are asking for help for my wife now."