BRETT: As you well know, there’s enough negative news in the world that we wanted to end every program on a High Note and with “good vibes,” as Rush would say. We’re calling it our EIB High Note, and today’s High Note is about Leah and her Labrador Brea. So you got Leah and Brea. The two work together bringing comfort to kids in the hospital dealing with serious health issues.
This is something that Leah herself can personally relate to, having been diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child. Part of the therapy involved working with animals, which was a game-changer for her outlook and removed some of the fear. Her Lab, Brea, was trained by Canine Companions for Independence, and now they accompany kids in the hospital to scary appointments when they need to get an IV, an MRI, or even a CAT scan.
Leah explains it this way.
LEAH FROHNERATH: Just being a dog in a hospital sometimes changes the whole vantage point of what they’re thinking about, because it was just a culmination of all the things that I felt was the best medicine for kids.
BRETT: It’s absolutely an incredible effort that’s being made there, because it’s tense enough when you’re an adult going in for a treatment or going in for a test. Being a child and having to go in — especially if it’s on an ongoing basis or a regular basis — has certainly gotta be frightening and would make you feel upset. The fact that Leah is doing this with her Labrador, Brea, is phenomenal. It is phenomenal.
You’re putting those children at ease.
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