With the assistance of his Great Dane administration canine, Wendy, the 10-year-old Hunter VanBrocklin is figuring out how to walk once more.
The fourth-grader, who was determined to have cerebral paralysis at two years old, had hip dysplasia medical procedure in January and presently depends vigorously on the reliable canine for recovery help.
“I love Wendy because she helps me walk and she gives me independence,” Hunter, who struggles to walk on his own, tells PEOPLE. “She’s a buddy and she’s with me all the time. She’s my best friend.” Hunter VanBrocklin said.
Hunter, who enjoys being outside, would spend his free time after school in Alfred, Maine, hiking with his mother, Kelly, and his father, Andrew. Hunter fell with every step he made before Wendy entered their life in 2013.
“Walking is my favorite thing in the entire world. Wendy nudges me and helps me get off the ground when I fall over,” Hunter explained. “When Wendy came to live with us, I cut down my falling to three times a day. Before it was more like 500!” he added.
Wendy assists Hunter with keeping up with balance while strolling and is coordinated by a delicate pioneer that circumvents her nose and neck. Tracker clutches her outfit and when he provides an order he pulls the pioneer, which moves her head where he needs to head. To move forward onto checks, Hunter puts two hands on her and they move forward together.
“She’s really the only way I can go hiking,” he uttered. Hunter’s mother, Kelly, says Wendy provides her son happiness and stability, which makes her cry.”
“Their bond is so unadulterated and valid,” Kelly, a 36-year-old actual specialist, tells PEOPLE. “She safeguards him wherever they go. It resembles having an additional parent around, she doesn’t remove her eyes from him.”
Dr. Benjamin Shore of Boston Children’s Hospital, Hunter’s orthopedic surgeon, says a walker didn’t fit the fourth-lively grader’s nature. Dr. Shore tells PEOPLE, “He’s active and he doesn’t consider himself as having a disability.”
“His mind is more faster than his body; he wants to go out and accomplish things that he can’ do with the walker.”
The specialist, who has been treating Hunter for a very long time, says Wendy is incredibly defensive of her proprietor and dearest companion.
“Anytime a doctor goes in to see Hunter, we have to acknowledge Wendy first,” Dr. Shore explains with a smile. “Their friendship is amazing and Hunter has gotten so much stronger and better at walking.” “It’s been cute to see the two of them grow up together.” He added.
Cerebral palsy is characterized by abnormal muscular tension. Hunter’s muscles tighten and degrade as he matures. His hips began to drift away from the socket, a condition known as hip dysplasia.
The fourth-grader underwent surgery to repair both issues and is now learning to walk all over again. Every 6 to 12 months, he gets botox and phenol injections to assist relax his muscles and relieve spasticity in his ankles. Hunter experimented with a few smaller dogs before meeting Wendy three years ago, and it was love at first sight.
“Within 10 feet of Wendy and Hunter walking together the trainer said, ‘This is it,’” Kelly mentioned. “It was that quick. Wendy wouldn’t let my husband drive away — she would stand behind the truck because she didn’t want Hunter to leave.”
It took Hunter a year to be completely open to strolling with Wendy, however, the pair is presently indistinguishable. “She cherishes me, on the grounds that consistently she ensures I’m sleeping alright, and she
snoozes bed with me,” Hunter says. “At this moment she can’t because of my bones.”
Specialists say it will require all things considered a year and a half for Hunter to figure out how to walk once more. “Nothing is excessively intense for me to do, however,” Hunter says. “At some point, I’ll climb Mount Everest with Wendy. She’ll constantly show up for me.”
