Virginia Beach, Va. - NewsChannel 3 is taking action for one of our own.
We've been telling you about former NewsChannel 3 meteorologist Dr. Duane Harding's battle with a severe form of narcolepsy -- and his hope to get a service dog to help him.
It's been a long time coming, and it would have never happened without our NewsChannel 3 viewers who took action and got results for Dr. Duane.
"Sometimes I can fight it, fight if off. Sometimes I can recover. But other times, I can't. I just go down to the ground for twenty minutes or so."
Dr. Duane's attacks of cataplexy are part of his narcolepsy, which went undiagnosed for thirty years.
A few years ago, Duane learned that service dogs could be trained to help people with narcolepsy.
But the waiting list for service dogs is long. Recently, though, Duane got some new hope when he learned that PAWS Training Centers was opening a new branch in Virginia Beach. Duane talked with trainer Gemma Soberano about the possibility of getting a dog.
Then -- NewsChannel 3 viewers took action. When we told Duane's story, people called PAWS Training Centers and donated more than $5,000 -- enough to get a puppy and begin the training!
The Goldendoodle puppy will be coming from Yankee Doodles and Poodles in Pennsylvania.
You can still Take Action and donate to help Dr. Duane!
You can mail a donation to:
Paws Training Centers
15 Davidson Road
West Chester, PA 19382
or call
610-220-7997
If you want to pass a special message along to Dr. Duane, call 757-446-1375 or send us an email. NewsChannel 3 will make sure he receives it.
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