The proof that puppies can change lives
hears how a hand-picked assistance dog changed the Myers family’s lives and their wheelchair-bound son Noah who has Escobar syndrome.
Noah Myers is a small boy making a big impact. The six-year-old has become an inspiration to thousands who love seeing him climb mountains, go skiing, and take part in running events. These are incredible feats for any child, but even more so for Noah, who uses a wheelchair in his daily life.
Noah has Escobar syndrome, a condition that affects just over 100 people around the world.
“We knew from the 12 weeks scan that Noah wasn’t going to be like everyone else if he survived the pregnancy and it was only when he was born we realised that life was about to change indefinitely for us,” said his mother, Sharon.
The syndrome affects Noah’s physical health, meaning he will use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Otherwise, he is just like any other child his age.
His parents, Sharon and Denis, initially found it difficult to adjust to Noah’s needs but now they are eager to share their son’s story with the world.
“I went through severe depression and anxiety about a year after Noah came along,” Sharon said. “But thankfully as Noah has got older, and I’m in control of my mental health, I feel that life now has so much to give us, which is why we set up ‘Our Wheely Big Journey’.”
‘Our Wheely Big Journey’ is a Facebook page with almost 5,000 followers that shares Noah’s travels and achievements.
Sharon says they were inspired to start the page after she and Denis started running with Noah in his wheelchair, but she never expected it to become so popular.
“I realised very quickly that a lot of people were inspired by what we were doing. It got me thinking, why not show everyone that even if disability becomes part of you and your family’s life, it doesn’t mean that your life can’t be fun and full to the brim of adventures.
“I wanted people the everyday person to see that although life has thrown us a challenge, we are loving life 99% of the time. I wanted other families like ours to see that they can do the same.”
Sharon says her family are delighted so many people are becoming more aware of disability: “I have to say it has blown me away how many people are watching us and following what it is we are doing. I’ve received hundreds of messages, from people who are now looking at disability in a different way, to others who have been inspired to get out and about themselves. It’s been truly amazing.
“I’m incredibly proud of my son and he is my very own inspiration. He never ceases to amaze me with his incredible courage and I’m delighted others can see what Denis and I see.”
The page also focuses on Denis and Sharon’s point-of-view, and Sharon has written candidly about her experiences with the HSE, which has resonated with their followers.
“Over the years since we have had Noah we have had some very positive experiences with the HSE. However, there are some huge failings in our health system and one of them that seems to be affecting us the most now is the waiting times for equipment that Noah badly needs,” Sharon explained.
“We are waiting on a new wheelchair, an activity chair and a shower toilet seat. He is currently being showered on a picnic chair.
“I find it so hard to understand how it takes so long for the HSE to approve equipment, especially when it’s urgent as in Noah’s case. His scoliosis is progressing, and we are trying our hardest to slow it down before he will need surgery which, ironically, if he does, will end up costing the HSE even more.
“I can see why so many other families like ours end up getting so angry and frustrated when you are constantly having to fight for everything. It truly is the hardest part of our journey.”
In spite of challenges such as this, Sharon and Denis are glad they have so many opportunities to go on family adventures with Noah and his older sister Sophie.
“We have been on lots of adventures as a family, some of which might not seem like a big deal to the ordinary person but, when you have a wheelchair in tow, a simple adventure to some can turn out to be a huge one to us.
“No place is off limits to us — woods, beaches and mountains. We climbed the Galtee Mountains with Noah just over a year ago by carrying him on our backs. We have been as far afield as Florida and this year we took Noah on his first ever ski trip to Austria, which was amazing.”
They will be joined on their future travels by their new, four-legged family member, Ivy, who came to them from the Dogs for the Disabled, a charity based in Cork that trains assistance dogs for people like Noah.
“Ivy is a dream come true. She has totally changed our family dynamic,” said Sharon. “She truly has brought such happiness and light to our lives.
“Noah absolutely adores her, and I think he’s going to get up to some serious trouble with her in the future. And I say that because just this morning he had her fetching his underwear! We really couldn’t imagine life without her now.”
Dogs for the Disabled CEO, Jennifer Dowler, says Ivy works so well with Noah because she was hand-picked by the charity for him.
“We breed all our own dogs and throughout training, they are observed to identify their personality traits. Like with people each dog is different, with individual strengths and weaknesses,” she said.
“Ivy was selected for Noah because of her sweet nature and her easy going personality. Noah needed a dog that can assist him from his wheelchair like retrieving, pulling and pushing, etc, but also a dog that is happy to chill out beside him while he plays on his X-Box. While Ivy loves to work, she equally loves to chill out.”
IVY’S relaxed personality developed under the loving eye of her socialiser, Kate Durrant, who says Ivy has changed her family’s lives as well as the lives of the Myers family.
Ivy lived with the Durrants until she was almost two. She quickly became a local celebrity.
“She became a local mascot, better known in the local shops than ourselves, and everywhere we went Ivy came too,” said Kate.
Ivy outgrew her local fame and soon a popular Facebook page, ‘The Life of Ivy’, documented her journey.
“I started ‘The Life of Ivy’ as a bit of fun and an excuse to bore people with photos of ‘my new child’, and it grew to reach tens of thousands of people every week,” said Kate.
The difficulty of saying goodbye to Ivy was eased with the knowledge that she was moving on to greater things, and they continue to keep up with Ivy and Noah.
“When we heard she was going to live with such a beautiful family, well, you couldn’t ask for more, could you? Thanks to the magnanimity of Noah, Sophie, Sharon and Denis, we haven’t had to say goodbye to Ivy. I see her most days online at ‘Our Wheely Big Journey’,” said Kate.
“Maybe rather than losing Ivy, I’ve gained a Noah. And if that’s the case then isn’t that a wonderful ending to a wonderful story.”
You can follow Noah’s adventures through Facebook on ‘Our Wheely Big Journey’ and keep up to date with Ivy and her siblings on ‘The Life of Ivy’.
