This Blind Swimmer Persisted Thanks To Her Guide Dog

October 16, 2021

Claire Miles

I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed—and gazed—but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.

- William Wordsworth

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Life is filled with ups and downs, sometimes when humans just don’t cut it, it is our dogs that give us the love and support we need to push through. Anastasia Pagonis is a perfect example of this, at the age of 14 she lost her eyesight and fell into a period of depression and anxiety as she was forced to deal with her new reality.

Anastasia had started swimming only six months prior to her eyesight loss. She enjoyed it so much and felt hopeless at the thought of her passion being pulled from under her feet. She decided that something needed to be done. Soon enough, she received a phone call offering her a guide dog for relief. The dog (named Radar) had been training with a professional hockey team until then.

Getty Images/ Rights-managed/ KAZUHIRO NOGI

Radar and Anastasia met and began intensive training. They quickly bonded and fell in love. Radar assists Anastasia daily and she now feels as though she has her independence back, she explains “when I jump into the water, that’s my happy place, that’s when I feel free. When I’m out of the water, I always have to rely on someone.” Anastasia is only 17-years-old and she has come so far with her swimming career since then, she has won several titles, including two gold medals at the World Para Swimming World Series.

Getty Images/ Rights-managed/ CHARLY TRIBALLEAU