Taking the Lead | Hardest Street to Walk Down

On this episode we talk with Leader Dog client Colin Danna, he shares about his journey with blindness and receiving orientation and mobility in his home town.

What is Taking the Lead ?

Leader Dogs for the Blind empowers people who are blind or visually impaired with the tools for safe and independent daily travel. Our goal is to educate, advocate, and share real life experiences of those with blindness. Come learn, laugh, and grow with us.

Christina: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Taking the Lead podcast where we empower people to be unstoppable. I'm Christina Hepner with my co-host Leslie Hoskins and Timothy Kuo. Well, you guys, Leslie is back.
Leslie: I feel like that's how we start every podcast, you know? Oh man. It's like your travel season. It really is. Spring has been nuts.
We've just been kind of all over the place. But yes, this trip was a vacation and it was much needed. It was so nice. It was with my family and then another friend, um, and their family, and we went to Orlando and you know, did all this swimming. So we have kids between the two families. We have a two-year old, a three-year old, a four-year old, and a five-year-old.
Um, so you can imagine it was not restful Yeah. In any way, shape, or form. Um, but we did go to SeaWorld.
Timothy: Sounds like you need a vacation from your
Leslie: vacation. Yes, I do need a vacation. From the vacation. That drive alone. Whew.
Christina: But you do look very
Leslie: sun kissed. Oh, oh, thank you. And refreshed. Thank you. [00:01:00] I tried to stay, you know, SPF out of the sun too much, but I went.
My little glow is always nice. Yeah, you do have a nice little glow. I'm over
Christina: here like glowing white,
Leslie: very pale, beaming. It's so,
Christina: so snow, baby. We haven't had that much
Leslie: sun yet. It was really fun. We. Went to SeaWorld and we all had, because they have like a Sesame Street world there. And so we all had shirts of Sesame Street characters, which was really cute.
It was, um, we definitely leaned in. We just, we went hard for it. It was really fun. Um, but the family we went with, actually, here's a fun little fact. It, uh, Chanelle, she is actually a new team member at Leader Dogs for the Blind. I call her chatty Shatty and I have been friends for over 20 years and she just started in client services.
Yeah. So if you're applying for any of these cool free services, uh, maybe you'll chat with my friend Chatty Chanel. Everybody calls her Chanel.
Timothy: I bet you enjoyed [00:02:00] the warm
Leslie: weather. Ugh, Timothy. It was so nice. It was so, so nice. I know Kristin, you're like deaf eyes, but it was so, it felt so good just to be warm.
Yeah, honestly. And like go swimming and just relax. I mean, we really didn't do a whole lot. We just spent our days at the pool. Yeah. Well,
and
Christina: I'm over here right now with my coat on because I am just cold. So, you know, I'm real jealous right now. Goodness. One day.
Leslie: One day I will. Be on a vacation? Yes. I mean, I think maybe you could say I did a little work.
My grandpa is, um, visually Im pardy as I macular degeneration and I recently gave him a cane and so I was able to see him using his cane a little bit, which was very nice. And then I had a huge debate with my uncle and my grandpa, cuz they keep calling it a stick. And so obviously Timothy, you know, I feel very strongly that it is a cane, a mobility device, not a stick.
No. Oh, we got through it, but it was touch and go there for a couple minutes. [00:03:00] But it's good to let people know. Yeah. What do you feel about that, Timothy? Because I think that is a, a good debate or question or topic. Yeah.
Timothy: I really don't like that word. That's a bad fine letter word. I don't like calling it stick because it's somebody's way of, uh, doing their orientation, trying to get somewhere where they want to go in this world.
And to them, they may not like us, so we call it a cane or. Or, uh, some have a pet name for it, but just don't call it a
Leslie: stick. Well, and
Christina: a stick is like a tree
Leslie: branch, right? Yeah. I mean, and some people call like, we have a funny shirt that says I drive a stick. And it's like a, a stick figure walking with a cane.
And it's funny, right? Like if people wanna call it a stick on their own, and it's a comical relief, it makes people feel a little bit more comfortable, of course, right? Like, that's your power you have. Um, but in general, right? It is a mobility device. So I like to give people a hard time about it. It's a tool.
It's important. Yeah. But I think that's interesting. So anyways, um, happy to be back, happy to be here. Um, I'll try [00:04:00] not. Well, you know what, I've got a couple more things coming up, so we'll see. Yeah. You guys, you guys don't worry. I will be here. I will always be here. I don't know what I do without Timothy and Christina, you guys hold down the fort.
Christina: I am not ever allowed to leave or go on vacation. I'm just kidding. I am.
Leslie: But like rarely when it, when it fits with Timothy and I's schedule,
it's fine. Yeah. If you, if I have a mental breakdown on the, I'm just kidding. Yeah, if you could clear those dates with Timothy and I, we'll let you know. But anyways, we're all here together. We're super pumped because today's guest actually is a leader dog client who recently worked with one of our certified orientation and mobility specialists, Barry Stafford, who we've recently had on the podcast.
But in this situation, our client today or our guest was provided in-home orientation and mobility, so we're excited to learn about that. Yeah. Colin
Christina: Dana was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at 10 years old and has done his best to Rocket ever [00:05:00] since. He's the director of construction and engineering for Telecommunications consulting and contracting company, and he currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife Sarah, and their two dogs, and is the vice president of the Foundation Fighting Blindness Phoenix Chapter.
Timothy: Colin, welcome to the show. It's great to have you to hear this morning. Can you tell us what it's like to get that diagnosis at 10? I got mine at 12. So what was it like for you to have those during your
Collin: preteen years? Um, well thank you. It's a pleasure to be here. Um, go back into the recesses of my brain a little bit.
You know what I remember of it and, and as I'm sure you know, you know, RP tends can be a family diagnosis and that was the case with, with us. Um, You know, my parents started noticing that, that I wasn't seeing well at night. They'd send me to go out to get the newspaper or whatever, and I couldn't find it.
And my stepfather would be like, it's right there. You know, so they kinda were like, something's up here. Um, you [00:06:00] know, sent me to a, a local eye doctor, uh, who, who found or, or thought he found the RP and then sent me to a specialist down at, in Mar um, Maryland, Miami. Ah, uh, Baskin Palmer Eye Institute, uh, Dr.
Samuel Jacobson. And, uh, so my whole family, so my mom and I, um, you know, my grandparents and my maternal grandparents, everybody went, got tested. Um, at 10. I don't think I realized what it all meant, right. I, I think it was just, well, I don't see, well, that's okay. Um, you know, I think my mom was, was freaking out way more than I was.
Um, but, um, you know, at at 10, I mean, life was still good. I mean, I, as far as I knew, I had good eyesight, so I can't say it really impacted me
Leslie: then. Yeah. When did you really start to notice the impact? Like, hey, this is going to make a difference in my life.
Collin: Um, yeah, it was probably more in my high school years, um, where I really started to notice it.
Um, you know, [00:07:00] one thing that, that my mom always did, and she, she, you might find this crazy, um, but to help me kind of get through that day, um, you know, when I was 10, uh, she, she promised to buy me a dirt bike, and I'm like, that's awesome. Wow. I mean, I wanted one really, really, really, really bad. And, and she's, you know, kind of instilled that in me from a young age that don't let anything hold you back.
And now that was, could be a crazy idea, but, you know, I survived. I'm here to talk about it. Um, and, uh, you know, and, and so, but by the time I was in high school and, you know, actively playing sports and football and my dirt bikes got bigger and faster. And, and that's when I really started to notice my eyesight.
And then of course, you know, by the time I was of driving age, um, you know, I, I drove, you know, during the daytime up until just a couple years ago. Okay. Um, but I did notice at night, you know, I drove for maybe, I don't know, 10 or 15 times at night and then I was like, [00:08:00] yeah, no, this is not a wise idea. Um, so I kind of pulled myself off the road from night driving, but,
Leslie: and that's not easy to do.
I know, you know, we hear from clients all the time. Giving up driving is a huge, huge thing. You know, it's a, what a lot of people consider, um, you know, their independence. So what was that like for you when you did decide to, to kind of put up the keys?
Collin: Um, so kind of keeping in the trend of not letting anything hold me back, but I knew my eyesight was getting to a point.
I probably wasn't going to be driving much longer. Um, I checked, uh, I, I checked off, uh, an item on my bucket list and I had, I had purchased a Shelby GT 500 sports car. Nice. And, um, you know, I always wanted one and I was at a point in my life I could afford one, and I'm like, you know, what I'm gonna do this time is limited.
Um, but over time, over a few years, it was getting harder and harder for me to drive any car, especially [00:09:00] that car. Mm-hmm. Um, and it just, it wasn't fun. And so, you know, I would drive it because I felt guilty. I had it, it was parked in the garage and I felt like I needed to take it out, but I, it really wasn't enjoyable anymore.
And, you know, so my, my wife and I were going to sell it and we were driving it, uh, to the place that was gonna purchase it. And I mean, she just looked at me and she said, she goes, are you even enjoying this at all? Are you comfortable at all? And I'm like, no, I'm not. And she, Yeah, we, we need to sell this.
And, and that was kind of the moment that I decided like, you know what, what am I doing? Mm-hmm. I'm taking all sorts of unnecessary risks. My life is beautiful, otherwise, you know, this is okay. And that deciding not to drive anymore was huge, but it also opened the door to everything. Right. I couldn't fathom learning to use a cane or, or really acknowledging my vision loss if I was still driving.
Mm-hmm. [00:10:00] It made no sense to me. Um, so it kind of opened the door to everything that's come over the past three or four years.
Timothy: Colin, it's amazing that, you know, I'm hearing you cuz I went through the same thing when I turned at my driver's license and I'm sure there's other people out there. Who's going through the same path as we have, and
Collin: we all can relate with you what you've gone through.
Leslie: Sure. And I'm curious, so, you know, this is a conversation we hear in a topic we hear all the time. Right. It's a, you know, it's called passing, right? When you're just passing as a cited person and you don't really, not even that, you don't wanna accept that you have a vision loss, but almost you don't want everybody else to know it, you know?
Um, and so, like you said, giving up your driver's license and. Starting to use a cane. What was that like for you? How did that happen? Were you nervous doing it in public? Did you have to explain to friends or family what was going on?
Collin: Um, yes and no. I mean, I mean, I, you know, my family of course, and, and my closest friends have been taking this [00:11:00] journey with me.
Mm-hmm. And, um, you know, so, so I didn't have to really explain anything to them. But the past year has been quite a journey for me. And, and how this really all started, um, and with Leader Dogs and how I found out about Leader Dogs was at the Foundation Fighting Blindness 2022 Visions Conference in Orlando.
And, and you know, I, my wife pushed me to go, it was like, yeah, I don't know. I don't know if I'm really ready to get into all that. Um, but she's like, no, let's go. It'll be fun. We'll go to Disney World, we'll make a vacation out of it. I'm like, okay, yeah, let's go. Um, so we went and it was just an amazing experience for me because, you know, one thing that comes up a lot is, um, you know, I've gone my whole life outside of my other family members that have rp, not really knowing too many people that are visually impaired or, or blind.
And so all of a sudden I'm in this environment. [00:12:00] Almost everybody's visually impaired or blind. Mm-hmm. And, and I'm watching people use canes and guide dogs and just navigate. And I'm holding onto my wife's hand, which is, I do still, it just is great. But I, you know, and I went from feeling like prior to going to this event, feeling like I would be embarrassed to use a cane in public cuz then everybody would know, I can't see, to being at this event and being embarrassed.
I wasn't using a. Oh, and it was like all of a sudden I'm like, I can't win. Um, but then I, you know, I, I learned about Leader Dogs at, at this, and, and I learned about the, the mobility and o and m program from Leader Dogs. A lot of people talked very, very fondly of it. Um, and again, my wife was like, well, all these people are talking about the Leader Dogs program.
We need to get you signed up for it. Okay. Um, so, you know, but this is all part of, I had to be in that right mindset to get to a place where I was willing to accept all [00:13:00] this. Um, And, uh, so yeah, she, we, we started the process when we got back. Um, but it, it then also started a process of just making it more public.
Mm-hmm. Um, I, I, I put a Facebook post out there, just, you know, to kind of touch everybody, not just the closest people to me, but the acquaintances and the people who may not know. And I was kind of funny about it. I, I, I, well, I could talk forever, but I did end up purchasing a cane. Okay. Um, As, as directed by uh, who's now my mentor, Jeff, um, ended up per, he, he challenged me in Orlando to buy a cane.
He goes, first thing, just buy a cane, get on Amazon, buy a cane. I go, okay, I can do that. So I had this cane that I bought and of course, cuz I like the. To modify things or have really, you know, I got this really cool cane with, I put a red ball on the end of it and you know, it has a little shock on it so you don't jab yourself.
I'm like, this is a really cool cane. Um, you know, so I, [00:14:00] I took this funny picture of me in my Jeep. Um, I. I wasn't actively driving it. Yeah. Hanging out the driver's side window and, and just me being silly and, and I po I, you know, posted that picture on Facebook and I'm like, here it is. And I, I, you know, wrote something just kind of explaining my situation, what I'm going through and hey, you may start to see me using a cane, or you may see me using a guide dog in the.
Um, this is all part of my process and so I just threw it out there and it, it's, it's opened the dialogue, um, you know, with friends and family. Um, I've since talked with coworkers and, and announced with my team at work, explained to them the situation. So, And, and the feedback's been great. You know, it's either anti-climatic, like no one's really Yeah.
Worried about it either way. They're like, yeah, okay, yeah, we, we knew you didn't see. Well, no big deal.
Leslie: They've been waiting for you to say
Collin: it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well then, you know, and, and to that point, my closest friends [00:15:00] and the people who've known me the longest we're just so happy. You know, it's, it's sort of like coming out, right?
You're, you're just, you're telling the world. You've had a secret and, and now you just want to share the secret with everybody.
Christina: That is so cool. I, you know, I, it's always so interesting to hear from our different clients how they end up, you know, sharing it with people and I think that's such a cool way.
And also it kind of shows the power of, you know, social media as well. Because I'm on the digital front end leader dog, and you know, when we share stories and stuff on our pages, it's cool to see the response and I'm glad that it worked out for you in that way. Um, and so, you know, you heard about us. I love how you heard about us at a conference.
People are talking about us. That's awesome. It's always great to hear how people hear about us, but what, I guess when you applied, what made you decide to receive in-home orientation and mobility? That's kind of a new thing here for us at Leader Dog as. [00:16:00]
Collin: Honestly, um, that you guys made that decision. Nice.
Me. Um, uh, I, it, it worked out fine for me. Um, I, I, you know, I, I have a very busy life and quite honestly, the, the. Thought of going to Michigan, like, and traveling independently by myself at that stage kind of was nerve-wracking to me. I'm like, I can do it. I, I'll figure it out. I'm not that worried. You know, I, I wanna do this.
But when I got the call and she said, well, we are thinking that, that we would do an in-home with you in Arizona and. Mean I don't have to go to Michigan in February. That's fantastic. Um, so I didn't make that decision. I suppose I could have said, no, I want to come to Michigan. But when, um, it was presented to me, I've said, absolutely.
That sounds fantastic to me.
Leslie: That's great. Yeah. So Barry Stafford, um, is one of our m specialists who actually lives in Texas, but he's going around and [00:17:00] traveling throughout the US and Canada, providing weeks of in-home. And so he, when we get like an approved, um, client for on and. He's looking at all the files and saying like, who could really benefit from some in-home training?
And so obviously he selected you, which is really cool cuz then you can work on those specific routes in your home environment. And a bonus for you probably really was that we try not to bring people from the south up to Michigan in the cold. Cause you know, you don't have all the equipment that you would need then that's silly to have somebody go out and buy those types of things.
So. It sounds like it worked out. So can you give us a little idea, like what was it like receiving in-home on M? How did it work for you?
Collin: Um, uh, just to summarize, I felt it was fantastic. Um, so, so you know, Barry and I had talked a couple times, uh, prior to him coming out there as Arizona. So, you know, we kind of got acquainted.
Um, he showed up at my house Monday morning and, you know, we, you know, talked for a while. I mean, I guess, you know, you'd call it an intake. We had a [00:18:00] conversation, but different goals and objectives. Um, you know, he, you know, chatted with my wife and we kind of got, you know, the whole picture of, of our life and our lifestyle and what we do, what we have.
And then he goes, well let's just start, you know, we'll just go out, out in front of your house and, and we will walk around the neighborhood. And, and I'm like, and, and I can't, I can't coin this phrase, but someone else had told me, you know, what's the hardest street to walk down the one right in front of your house?
And I had that repeating in my head, you know, cause I had never walked out my front door in my neighborhood using a cane before. Mm-hmm. I. Neighbors that I, I'm close with, um, you know, know that I have a visual impairment, but they still never saw me walking around with a cane. So they would be like, oh, it's like that.
Um, so the first 30, 50 steps out my front door were a little nerve-wracking, but then it was almost like a switch went off and I was just like, [00:19:00] I don't care. You know, I'm just gonna do this. And, and so we walked around the block and, and you know, Barry's trailing behind me and I know the route and, and it's daylight.
And so I, you know, I, I, I could see, um, you know, so, but it was more just getting used to having a cane in my hand and, you know, learning the technique. And we would stop and, and Barry would show me certain things. And I was like, you know what? This is pretty cool. So we just kept walking and that little walk around the block, we actually went all through the neighborhood around the park.
I just kept walking Barry?
Leslie: Yes, walking berry. I like that.
Collin: So like, Hey Barry, you cool? Can we keep going? He's like, yeah, let's keep going. So we just kept walking. Um, So it, it was, it was a fantastic experience. Um, you know, the whole, the entire week was, and it, it progressively got harder, obviously. Yeah, yeah.
You know, we, we went to areas that I didn't know and I wasn't comfortable with, and [00:20:00] more congested and, you know, so, so, you know, he challenged me big time. Um, but, you know, it was great, but, you know, it's so much, um, you know, it's, it's 90% mental, 10%
Leslie: physical. I love that. I think that's so, so true. And it is.
I also, also, I have like so many things I wanna go back to that you said cuz I love them. Um, but the, the hardest street to walk on is the one in front of your house. And I think that is so real for so many reasons, right? Like it's, it's getting out there, it's having that cane in public. It's being in your, your safe space and being a little uncomfortable being somebody new.
And I think, you know that 90% mental is just, it's, it's so true. And if you can believe in yourself and believe that the skills and techniques that you're taught work cuz they do work, then you're really unstoppable. And I know we say that all the time, but truly, I believe in those skills. I know they work.
I've seen them, I've done them, all of it. And so now you've had this, this time with Barry. How are you [00:21:00] feeling? You're feeling, you know, like empowered, what are some things that you've been doing that you maybe weren't doing beforehand?
Collin: Uh, very much empowered. Um, you know, it's, it's, it's not perfect, you know, it's not like all of a sudden, you know, I, I, I've learned how to use a cane and, and I'm invincible and I can do anything without, without a hiccup.
No, I mean, they're, they're still hiccups. Um, but night and day from where I was to where I am now, and the biggest, the biggest thing, and I actually pointed this out to my wife, you know, over the last couple years. Probably even longer than that, maybe five to 10 years. Um, the thought of, and, and this is silly to say now, but the thought of even like going out to lunch with work colleagues or, or going out to dinner or doing something maybe without my wife who I felt comfortable just, you know, grabbing her hand and getting to a table or whatever, if I knew I had to do that, um, or I had a big work meeting [00:22:00] offsite in an area, you know, that I didn't know, um, I would lose.
I literally would lose sleepover. I'd be so anxious about, I don't wanna run into something. I don't wanna trip down a step. I don't want to embarrass myself. Um, and as of late, the, you know, past month or so, I've had a lot of those meetings and I don't feel nervous at all. I'm just, here I am, here's my cane.
If it's a little dark or a little congested, I have no problem asking, you know, one of my colleagues or my partners to, to kind. Let me just grab your arm, you know, is help me to the table. Um, It just, it, it just a, a, a, a switch has been flipped. Right? And with that whole perspective, and I'm kind of, you know, almost to the point where I'm enjoying using the cane almost to get people's reaction or lack of reaction in some cases.
Um, it's kind of fun. Um, I'm an avid skier, downhill skier, [00:23:00] and so the first time I walked into the ski shop with my cane, go buy some new skis. I loved it. I was like, these people are looking at me like,
Leslie: what? I'm excited. That's amazing.
Collin: And then, um, you know, then we, we, we just got back from a, a ski trip. We went to Whistler in, um, Canada, British Columbia, and.
I, I loved that because I loved the idea of walking around the ski resort with a cane. And I did the adaptive ski program up there with, um, you know, two-sided guides and it was wonderful. I mean, just this great experience. And I just, I'm like, you know what? This is a cool thing that I'm doing this with a visual impairment.
You know. You know what I'm saying? Yeah,
Leslie: yeah. You're challenging all of those stereotypes, like people just don't know or don't believe that people who are blind or visually impaired can do all of these things and you're absolutely proving I'm wrong. I think that's fantastic. Plus you're getting a kick out of [00:24:00] it, which you Yeah.
So much better. Yeah, to enjoy it. So I do wanna talk about the Foundation Fighting Blindness. So we've really partnered with them a lot lately. They, um, we just did a collaboration event with the Foundation Fighting Blindness. And then we also actually, the, the Michigan local Michigan chapter came to our campus, uh, recently for a presentation, which is very cool.
So, and you found us at the actual conference. Can you just share a little bit about, you know, what the Foundation Fighting Blindness has done for you and kind of what your role is with them?
Collin: Um, my role's relatively new. Um, so coming out of that conference in Orlando, um, I reconnected with, uh, a friend who I'd met years ago at another foundation event, and then I kind of separated from the foundation, not separated, but I wasn't involved.
Sure. Um, I, I wasn't, you know, part, maybe part of that denial. Um, but, you know, over the past 20 years, I've, I've kind of been involved, haven't been involved, gotten involved again. Um, so at this conference I [00:25:00] reconnected, uh, with fa, who's actually the president of the local chapter. And so we got to talking and, um, you know, just over, over months and, you know, he had a couple positions open and, and I was just, you know, so busy with everything.
I was just a little reluctant to commit to it. And then finally I'm like, you know what? I need to just do this and, and, you know, try to jump in and try to be helpful. Um, but what the foundation has done, so a couple things in, in a previous life, um, as I, well, I guess I still am an artist, professional artist.
Um, so I had a show some tw almost 20 years ago now in Phoenix. Um, I, I was moving from Austin, Texas to. And I had an art show here, and I collaborated with the Phoenix Chapter, the Foundation Fighting Blindness. And it was really the first time professionally that I ever, um, you know, shared what was going on professionally as an artist.[00:26:00]
Um, I never wanted to be known as a quote unquote blind artist. I didn't want my success to be because of that. So I, I never really. Um, maturity in hindsight being 2020, I probably would've had even bigger art career if I had, but still. Um, so that was my first experience formally with the foundation. Um, and then, you know, fast forward to the, just this past year, um, not only did we go to the, the event.
I, I utilized their free genetic testing services. Now, I, I had already had that done and I knew what my, uh, gene mutation was. Um, but we confirmed it through my local retinal specialist, my gene mutation. Um, I got on a list for, um, a clinical trial, which I'm still waiting to for them to start up. I got accepted into that, but I'm, I'm waiting for them to start up the phase two three clinical trial.
You know, I learned about [00:27:00] Leader Dogs learned, you know, you know, received the cane training. All this is really because of the foundation, um, and, and the work that they do. Um, and so that's why I felt like, you know, Everything that they do, I've taken advantage of over the past year. So I need to at least try to help out a little bit.
Leslie: I think that's, that's so great. And they really do. They do so much and I'm so glad we've been partnering with them a little bit more here and there. Um, because what they're doing is amazing and they were so much research and so much connection and, you know, they have all these smaller local chapters and Timothy it's very similar, right.
With, um, your relationship with the National Federation, uh, of the blind, right. N F B. An organization where you can meet other people, talk about what you're going through, share resources. I just, it's so important. So I love that you're a part of that. My
Christina: last question for you is, I'm curious cuz you know, you did o and m and you have two dogs of your own.
So I don't know if you would or not, but would you ever consider actually [00:28:00] coming to Leader Dog for a guide dog in the future?
Collin: Absolutely. I mean that's, that's definitely in my. Um, and, and Barry and I talked an awful lot about that, and we talked about, you know, the process and, and, you know, the skillset I need to have with a cane and be comfortable with, with a cane prior to, to, you know, getting the guy done,
Leslie: him to generous, having this one.
Make it possible to achieve our mission. The only
Collin: concern I have talked with Barry, I've talked to other people about this. I have two dogs now, Warren,
Leslie: that our generous sponsor, old doesn't website, chocolate Lab ww be perfect.
Collin: I have another dog named an a year old boxer named George. George is he and I.
Attached to the hip. Mm-hmm. And so my, this is probably more my concern than George's concern, but my concern is, is now all of a sudden I'm gonna be attached to this other dog and I'm gonna be going everywhere with this other dog and it's gonna break [00:29:00] George's heart. So that's why I'm like, I don't, I might have to wait a little bit.
Yeah. Um, on, on it. But, you know, it, it, we'll, we'll kind of see what happens over the next
Leslie: year. Yeah, that's definitely a big consideration, uh, when thinking about getting a guy talk. So yeah, I'm excited to keep up with your journey and see where this all goes. Timothy and I just celebrated our four year friends anniversary, um, so it won't be long.
Colin, you'll probably be on the same with Barry, which I think is absolutely wonderful, which by the way, Barry sends, um, US photos when he is out working in the world and usually he's wearing his taking the lead podcast shirt. Yeah. And so he sent us a lovely photo of you and him working together, uh, which I think is fantastic.
So thank you, Colin, for being on and joining us today and sharing your story. We really appreciate it. Absolutely.
Collin: Thank you for having me.
Leslie: And thank you so much to our listeners for listening to the Taking the Lead podcast. I'm Leslie Hoskins with host Timothy Kuo and Christina, he. We hope you enjoyed learning about Callen's [00:30:00] experiences.
Please join us next week as we continue to dive into the world of blindness. If you'd like to learn more
Christina: about applying to our free services at Leader Dog, you can head to leader dog.org or call us at [phone]. And don't forget, you can reach us at taking the [e-mail] with any questions or ideas.
If you like today's podcast, make sure to hit subscribe and check us out wherever Podcast Stream. This season of the Taking the Lead podcast is brought to you by a longtime supporter of Leader Dog, the Mary P DL Hallan Foundation.
Leslie: The Mary P DL
Christina: Hallan Foundation supports the study of mathematics and mathematics education.[00:31:00]