Ohio teen Sami Stoner loves to run. But when a rare eye disease swiftly stole her vision, the tree-studded trails of cross country running became too dangerous to tackle.
Stoner has Stargardt’s disease — a hereditary form of macular degeneration that causes irreversible blindness.
At first, it seemed running would be yet another sacrifice for the 16-year-old, who will never be able to drive. But she found her way back into the race with a one-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever called Chloe.
“When one door closes, another one opens,” said Stoner, a high school junior in Lexington, Ohio. “Even if you have a disability or you don’t think you can do something, there’s almost always a way.”
Stoner met Chloe, a specially trained guide dog, in July at the Pilot Dogs facility in Columbus, Ohio. Tethered by a sturdy harness, the pair endured four weeks of intense training — first walking and then running under close supervision.
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article courtesy of ABCNews.com
