A Service Dog for Christmas
MADISON, Wis. – It was love at first sight for McKaylie Justman from Janesville and River the Goldendoodle.
Justman is a recent college graduate with Type 1 diabetes whose mom nominated her for Life 102.5’s Christmas Kindness. Her specific request was for a service dog that could help her daughter determine when her blood sugar is low. The family knew this was an essential step for enabling Justman to one day live on her own.
Through a partnership with Custom Canines Service Dog Academy in Madison and the support of generous listeners, Life 102.5 was able to gift Justman with a puppy for Christmas. Justman picked him up on Saturday, then received her diploma from University of Wisconsin-Madison on Sunday. River will grow up and go through training at the academy and elsewhere to become the service dog Justman has always wanted.
Life 102.5 launched Christmas Kindness earlier this year, asking listeners to nominate people facing financial instability, medical issues or other difficult situations. Through the generous support of Quam’s Appliance, Locks and Unlocks Inc., Custom Canines Service Dog Academy and Life 102.5 listeners, the Christmas Kindness campaign also provided a washer and dryer for a single mother in Watertown, money toward medical and travel expenses for a Mauston family facing a difficult health journey, and help with Christmas presents, clothes and other expenses for a recent widow and her children in Westfield.
Watch Justman and River’s story unfold and learn more about Christmas Kindness at life1025.com.