Brenda Bodanza of Westminster is about to turn 50, a birthday year that many people dread, but one that Brenda embraces, just as she embraces every day given to her. I spent last Saturday morning at Brenda’s house and noticed several similarities to my own house. There were little kids and teenagers waking up at various times (all looking for food), amateur artwork was hanging on the fridge, the phone rang several times and people were at the door. Just like home. Except the reason I was there was to talk with Brenda about her upcoming two weeks of training with a yellow lab named Liberty at NEADS in Princeton, MA. This training will begin soon and Brenda, like all other NEADS dog owners, must raise $9,500 of the $20,000 cost of a fully trained service dog. Please consider donating any amount you can to help fund Brenda and Liberty's partnership. Click here to donate.
In support of Brenda's goal of maintaining her independence as long as possible, Westminster Vine will offer free long-term advertising to a local veterinarian who sponsors Liberty’s veterinary care and supplies as well as to a small business that commits to providing or funding Liberty’s food. Read More
Last year, Brenda was at a NEADS presentation at her son’s school and was amazed at the quality of life of the presenter (who Brenda later found out had MS). Brenda has suffered from several falls, and after an episode where she suffered a broken arm and ribs, she met with a volunteer from NEADS. The volunteer encouraged her to look into the program. On a limited income, Brenda felt she could not afford something as valuable as a NEADS assistance dog, but after another fall, Brenda decided to set up a formal meeting with someone from NEADS. Brenda says “I can't begin to tell you what it felt like to have a chance to walk with a service dog. It was like being in heaven. For the first time since I was told of this horrific disease, I felt like I was walking normally, and with an angel by my side. I can't get up from a bending position, I have a hard time picking things up, and I want so much to continue being independent. A service dog would help me to continue being the independent woman that I am and give my three sons relief to know that I am not alone and I am safe.”
Brenda Bodanza has primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Although she was diagnosed in 2003, she realizes now that it was likely she had MS for about seven years before the diagnosis. At work she would sometimes lose her balance, but could still correct herself. At that point, Brenda says she was able to ‘talk to her brain’ and convince herself to recover from these short episodes.
Working in the medical profession, as a Critical Care Technician in the Emergency Department at Leominster Hospital, gave Brenda some insight into what she may be suffering from. She went to a neurologist in 2003 armed with the knowledge that she faced the possible diagnosis of a brain tumor, an aneurysm or Multiple Sclerosis. She had a spinal tap and an MRI and two days later found out that she had MS--she had 17 lesions on her brain, of which three had developed into holes.
From WebMD: Multiple Sclerosis, often called MS, is a disease that affects the central nervous system-the brain and spinal cord. It can cause problems with muscle control and strength, vision, balance, feeling, and thinking.
Your nerve cells have a protective covering called myelin. Without myelin, the brain and spinal cord can't communicate with the nerves in the rest of the body. MS gradually destroys myelin in patches throughout the brain and spinal cord, causing muscle weakness and other symptoms. These patches of damage are called lesions.
There are four types of MS. Ninety percent of MS patients have relapsing-remitting MS, but Brenda is among the 10% of MS patients who have a form of the disease that is constantly progressing. Unfortunately for Brenda, drug companies are working to find treatments for the other 90% of MS patients. Because her body has rejected many of the 48 drugs she has been prescribed in the past seven years, or the side effects were too severe, Brenda has gone "cold turkey" off these medicines. Listening to Brenda talk about her experiences with side effects certainly seemed to justify her choice to abandon the drugs. When she was first diagnosed, she left her doctor’s office with prescriptions for over 20 medicines.
Brenda fell twice while working at the Emergency Department at Leominster Hospital. Her co-workers and bosses were very understanding and made accommodations for her, willing to pick up the slack where necessary. But, her pride got in the way and she just felt that if she couldn’t do the job right, she didn’t want to inconvenience others. When she started walking with a cane and couldn’t bend down, Brenda realized she could not do her job any longer. One of the doctors suggested she get into medical billing and helped her to get the training to do that. She worked in medical billing for about a year, but then the job was phased out and she went to work at St. Anna’s Preschool in Leominster. When the obstacles of the preschool became too much for her to navigate, Brenda was hired by Father Jamie Callahan as an Assistant Youth Ministry Coordinator for CCD at St. Anna’s. Brenda loves the church, and the wonderful people of St. Anna’s and Our Lady of the Lake churches in Leominster. In this new position, Brenda is able to work during her children’s school hours and has an accessible office in the finished basement of the rectory. This new position has allowed her to continue with her education as she is studying to obtain her Master Catechist Certification.
Brenda moved to Westminster in 2007, to the dismay of her teenage son, Adam, who was convinced that Westminster was much too rural for him. On the day they moved into their current home, it was snowing. When she heard someone shoveling, Brenda thought it was Adam, but then Adam asked her where she had found a shovel, and Brenda was confused. Hadn’t it been Adam who shoveled? Come to find out, one of their new neighbors had shoveled the walk and a different neighbor from across the street came over later and cleared her car and driveway, something he does even now. I explained that this is the typical of the community she lives in. She has come to experience this many times herself, in the form of generosity of neighbors, help from the community, and the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Town Benefit Fund. Brenda now says that Westminster is a place of serenity for her.
Brenda lives with her three sons--Adam (16), and twins Francis and Joshua (11). Spending several hours with Brenda and her family, I could clearly see that her faith and love for her family drive her desire to deal with her disease in the best way possible. Her positive attitude was very inspiring. She talked about her son Adam and how he provides a great measure of support, while at the same time pushing Brenda to retain her independence. With her washer and dryer in the basement, laundry is more than a chore. She talked at length about her kids working with her, yet not babying her. According to Brenda the kids can sense when they need to help her out, and that approach seems to work for everyone in the house.
Her disease continues to progress, having now reached the state called "terminally critical". Brenda’s right leg no longer has feeling and she suffers with declining independence. The disease has affected all of her organs from the waist down. As a result, she has to take the stairs ‘one step at a time’. To many, this may seem like a big pain, but to Brenda it represents her continuing ability to be able to put one foot in front of the other. As long as she can put one foot in front of the other, she’s happy. She has learned to make changes that help her with mobility. Sleeping has become an issue and she struggles to get comfortable in the night. Someone suggested getting satin pajamas, which Brenda tried and they worked. Thrilled with that little bit of extra mobility, Brenda took it one step further and bought satin sheets too, but the combination didn’t work out so well, as she promptly slid out of bed.
While we were visiting, Dick Holroyd and Jon Bliss stopped by to measure for a railing on Brenda’s front steps. Although Dick represents the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Town Benefit Fund Committee, which would likely have paid for such a modification to Brenda’s steps, this improvement will probably be paid for by the MS Society. Brenda currently relies on the shrub to the right to break her falls and a railing has become absolutely necessary.
Eventually it is likely that her other organs and her thought processes will be affected, but for now she just keeps hoping, fighting and praying. Last summer she brought her sons to Westminster's 250th Anniversary Celebration Family Fun Day at Crocker Pond. There she was able to sit in the sun all day, for the first time in seven years. She had not been able to stay out in the direct sun for long periods because she would become weakened due to the chemotherapy she was receiving. At Crocker Pond, her boys brought a lawn chair down to the water for her. In the past her feet would have had spasms in the cold water, but thanks to the elimination of all the medications she could now sit in the sun all day with her feet in the water. She even walked in the sand--because she could.
Brenda has recently received information on the dog that she will be trained with, a yellow lab named Liberty. Liberty is currently living with and being trained with the help of a prisoner as part of their Prison Pup Partnership program.
Brenda’s attitude is truly inspiring. Faced with so much adversity (not all of which is mentioned in this story), Brenda soldiers on. Comments like “If I stop, I’m done” and “As long as I can use it, I don’t want to lose it” were typical of Brenda's attitude throughout our conversation. She said she has her good days and her bad days and acknowledges that she doesn’t know what’s in store for her down the road, but there’s nothing she can do to stop MS. For Brenda, it’s the quality of life that’s most important. With twins who have just turned 11, Brenda has the goal of maintaining her independence, with the help of a NEADS dog, through their high school years. Brenda will soon spend two weeks living at the NEADS facility in Princeton. Week one will be training Brenda in all of the commands that Liberty already knows. Week two will be a real living environment where five people live in a house on the property, sharing a common area, and spending 24 hours a day with their dogs. Liberty will be trained to be Brenda’s right side. If she sways while walking or if she teeters, Liberty will sense that and put her back on track. Because Brenda has children, there are certain things that Brenda needs to make sure are consistent. One such example is that the kids can throw a ball for the dog, but the dog must bring the ball back to Brenda.
Karen Irving of Westminster is instrumental in the Dogs at Your Desk Program. If you live within one hour of the NEADS campus in Princeton, MA, you can help NEADS train and socialize its dogs by inviting them to spend a day at your desk at work. Six or more dogs will come to your office with their trainers and, after a short human education session, will go off to spend the day happily meeting co-workers and practicing "down" under your desk. The Dogs at your Desk program helps to familiarize the dogs in training with the sights and sounds of a busy corporate environment, including elevators, fax machines, lots of noise, and people during lunch in the cafeteria. 
Dave Hessel, who is a Westminster resident, is the NEADS Puppy Raiser Program Coordinator. He trains all of the weekend and full-time puppy raisers. He tracks the puppies’ training records and makes sure that they are learning their tasks, being house-trained, and adapting well to life in public. NEADS puppies need a lot of socialization as well as temperament training and Dave provide classes, curriculum, reports, guidance, and support for the puppy raisers. Dave has been a dog trainer for ten years.
These cute pups were available for socializing last time we were at NEADS. Visit NEADS on Facebook to see so many more adorable pups on their way to becoming assistance dogs.
Dinner to Benefit Friends of NEADS Canines for Combat Veterans
Date: 03/06/2010
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Veterans Center, 100 West Street, Leominster, MA
Contact phone: 978-602-9101
This Excellent Meal Includes: Pasta, Meatballs, Salad, Dessert and Free Coffee or Water. Please Contact Susan Roser to Purchase Tickets at: 978-602-9010. Adult Tickets: $8.00. Children and Senior Tickets: $6.00
NEADS trains dogs to act as service dogs for disabled and deaf people. NEADS is also responsible for placing the dogs in their homes with people who need the services of the dogs. Most puppies come into the program when they are eight weeks old and stay for eight weeks. At that point they are relocated to prisons or foster families. When they are 1 ½ years old they come back to the NEADS headquarters for their comprehensive training. The dogs are matched with a person based on the dog’s abilities and the person’s needs. The person stays at the NEADS facility for two weeks with the dog, during which time they train together. Find out more by visiting the NEADS website.