Client Stories

  • Podcast: Bryan B. and “Koda”

    Apr 16, 2026 Comments Off on Podcast: Bryan B. and “Koda”
    April 17 @ 3:08 am

    Check out the latest podcast featuring Fidelco client, Bryan B. and his guide dog “Koda”.

  • Client Story: Todd Higgins and “Fergus”

    May 15, 2025 Comments Off on Client Story: Todd Higgins and “Fergus”
    April 17 @ 3:08 am

    Connecticut native Todd Higgins has been part of the Fidelco family for over 40 years- he partnered with his first Fidelco guide dog, “Promise,” in 1984. Todd is now working with his fifth Fidelco guide dog, “Fergus,” and says it’s his love of German Shepherd Dogs and our In-Community Placement…

  • Client Story: Amy Ranzenberger

    May 13, 2025 Comments Off on Client Story: Amy Ranzenberger
    April 17 @ 3:08 am

    “I’m a lot more confident when I approach the world with a guide dog,” says artist and Fidelco client Amy Ranzenberger. “With my guide dog I feel safer and more secure.” As a teenager and young adult, Amy recalls, “I was pretty much in denial about my visual impairment and…

  • Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice

    Nov 4, 2024 Comments Off on Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice
    April 17 @ 3:08 am

    The Honorable David S. Tatel, retired judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Court and Fidelco client, has recently published his memoir, Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice. Judge Tatel was previously the subject of an article in the fall 2020 edition of…

  • Client Story: Janet Gerster and “Trooper”

    Nov 3, 2024 Comments Off on Client Story: Janet Gerster and “Trooper”
    April 17 @ 3:08 am

    “I thought about getting a guide dog for a long time,” says first-time Fidelco guide dog user Janet Gerster. “For most of my life, I had enough vision to travel independently.” Janet’s vision continued to deteriorate due to retinitis pigmentosa, and she begun using a cane. The cane was helpful,…

  • Client Story: John Lowery and “Jasper”

    Nov 3, 2024 Comments Off on Client Story: John Lowery and “Jasper”
    April 17 @ 3:08 am

    Fidelco client John Lowery is a decorated military veteran who served in three branches of the U.S. military and was deployed overseas numerous times during the first Gulf War and in other operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, and Europe. He served ten years as a Staff Sergeant in the Marine…

  • A “Can-Do” Spirit: Gerry Leary and “Devyn”

    May 24, 2024 Comments Off on A “Can-Do” Spirit: Gerry Leary and “Devyn”
    April 17 @ 3:08 am

    Blind since infancy, Fidelco client Gerry Leary, a Boulder, CO resident, says he’ll try everything and always had trouble with words “no” and “can’t.” Gerry’s determination, confidence, and entrepreneurial spirit have helped him throughout his life. Gerry was matched with his first Fidelco guide dog, “Devyn,” in 2018. A friend…

  • Forward Through the City: Miguel Zapata and “Iron”

    May 24, 2024 Comments Off on Forward Through the City: Miguel Zapata and “Iron”
    April 17 @ 3:08 am

    Fidelco client Miguel Zapata lives in the center of Chicago with all of the commotion of a busy metropolitan area. Since he travels daily, Miguel requires a calm and confident guide dog partner. Knowing this, Fidelco trainers matched him with “Iron,” who has adapted smoothly to Chicago life, remaining focused…

  • Committed to Each Other and to Others

    Oct 4, 2023 Comments Off on Committed to Each Other and to Others
    April 17 @ 3:08 am

    The Stamford, CT train station is an unlikely wedding venue, but it was the perfect site for Fidelco clients Honorata Kazmierczak and Phil Magalnick. They first met in person there after corresponding for several months as members of an online group for people with retinitis pigmentosa (a degenerative eye disease).…

  • A Day in the Life of Fidelco Clients

    May 19, 2023 Comments Off on A Day in the Life of Fidelco Clients
    April 17 @ 3:08 am

    Yehia D. and “Vader” Vader joins Yehia on three-mile walks around the lake in his community and downtown for shopping and errands. While Yehia is working with tools in his garage, Vader is there by his side. Vader is an established member of their active household with Yehia and his…