'Superhero' dog from Southeastern Guide Dogs unleashes power in Lakewood Ranch

It wasn't a walk along Park Avenue, taking in the sights of Manhattan, or a long downward climb into the Grand Canyon.

Nor was it a stroll along a beach in Hawaii or a march to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

For 22-year-old McKenzie Hanlon, though, it was just as good as any of those things.

She opened the door of her Greenbrook home in Lakewood Ranch, and walked to the sidewalk.

Certainly, it isn't a big deal for most people, but for a young lady who had lost her independence to a brain hemorrhage, two strokes and six brain surgeries, it's all those other things rolled into one.

In October, Hanlon was matched with C.J., a golden lab from Southeastern Guide Dogs. It had been a two-year wait since she had applied for a guide dog, including a frustrating two-month period where the trainers at Southeastern had tried to match her just right with a service animal.

When that match finally was completed, Hanlon spent three weeks of training at the Southeastern Guide Dog facility in Palmetto before coming home to Greenbrook earlier this month with her new best friend. C.J. led Hanlon to the sidewalk, which previously had been off limits due to impending dangers.

No more.

Hanlon's saga began when she was a freshman at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala. She always had been a good student but she began to struggle. Meanwhile, she was suffering from intense migraines.

Her mother, Misty Garrison, began taking her to doctors, who were prescribing medicines for migraines, but not looking any deeper into the cause. It went on for three years until Garrison finally put "her foot down" and told the doctors they needed come up with another answer.

The answer was terrifying. Doctors found what they described as a "mega-giant aneurysm."

On Oct. 1, 2015, doctors at the University of Alabama-Birmingham's Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit removed an artery from the 17-year-old Hanlon's arm and used it as a replacement in her brain. They had to clip both sides of the bulging artery before removing it, which resulted in the two strokes. And, unfortunately, the replacement artery never took.

Eventually, they had to remove her skull to allow for swelling of the brain. She flatlined during the surgery, but doctors brought her back from the edge. Due to bone damage, they had to replace her skull with a synthetic material.

The surgeries resulted in paralysis to her right side and a loss of three quarters of her vision. To demonstrate her daughter's current vision, Garrison covered one eye completely with one hand and half her other eye with her other hand.

"Her aneurysm was the size of an orange," Garrison said. "And I didn't understand what having six brain surgeries would mean."

Garrison said her daughter's friends didn't understand either. To them, Hanlon wasn't the same fun-loving, caring girl.

"She lost a lot of people in her life," Garrison said.

Although she did graduate from her high school, Garrison knew her daughter needed something more. She managed to obtain a guide from an Alabama nonprofit, but the German shepherd bit the trainer. Garrison sent the dog back.

After Hanlon's last surgery three years ago, the family moved to Lakewood Ranch. It turned out to be a blessing. With the move they found Southeastern Guide Dogs.

"One year, I had five falls from using the stick," Hanlon said of the cane she was forced to use due to her blindness. "I wanted to go to college, but it wasn't possible with the stick."

After applying for a guide dog, Hanlon went out and bought a dog's bed, a collar, a cage, and dishes. She didn't expect a two-year wait.

"It was a long process of finding a dog for me," she said. "It's about walking pace. They make sure the match is super right. They brought three dogs a session to me four times. I was in love with a black lab, R.C. But they didn't think it was a match. I was heartbroken. I don't know why it wasn't a match."

Alice Ryskamp is a training team manager and a certified guide dog trainer at Southeastern Guide Dogs. 

"The first thing we always look at is pace of the dog and the person," Ryskamp said. "Dogs all have a natural walking pace. If the dog is too fast or too slow, that's not a match.

"And the thing we were looking for with McKenzie was a dog that would be easy to handle. McKenzie can't use her right arm. Some people might be younger than others, or more fit, or more sturdy on their feet. They can take more dog. These are all 18-month-old dogs and some are easily distracted. We needed a patient dog who would stand there and let McKenzie get situated."

Ryskamp said it also can be a gut feeling by a trainer.

"I have been doing this 10 years," Ryskamp said. "We never promise a dog to anyone because you never know what will happen. Obviously, she eventually felt what we felt, that C.J. would be a good dog for her."

When C.J. came through the door, Hanlon said they instantly bonded. The wait had paid off.

"I had faith the right one was there and I loved C.J.'s enthusiasm and that she was ready to work," Hanlon said. "We bonded instantly."

What followed was 20 days of 6 a.m to 7 p.m. training sessions at the Southeastern Guide Dogs facility, which has apartments for its clients.

"The training was a little hard, but it opened my eyes," Hanlon said. "I learned patience and I learned that it is incredible how much the dog knows. C.J. is a super hero."

Tears came to her eyes.

"This has changed my life," she said.

Garrison had to hold back her emotions as she talked about her daughter's new life.

"She walks so much more fluidly with C.J." Garrison said. "It gives her the courage to go out on her own.

"This dog isn't just about independence. She is a companion."

Garrison said she was gripped with despair when her daughter's aneurysm first was diagnosed and during her time on the operating table.

"I can't say enough about her ability to overcome. She doesn't cry or get mad, although we have at times cried. McKenzie is led by faith. We're very Christian and our strength comes from that. It's all Devine intervention."

Hanlon has a 13-year-old sister, Brooklyn, and a 15-year-old brother, Brayden. Her step-father is Peter Garrison.

"All McKenzie's independence was taken away, but this dog means everything," Misty Garrison said.

Although Hanlon said she has no hope of regaining her vision, she looks forward to college. She wants to do social work. What kind?

"I want to work for Southeastern," she said. "I want to find the right match for people like me."

Lakewood Ranch's Rachel Weeks, who received a service dog from Southeastern Guide Dogs due to her blindness from Usher syndrome, made that exact thing happen in 2019 when she landed a job there.

"It's an incredible experience for me and it’s an honor to be able to do so (help the clients connect with dogs)," Weeks said.

Hanlon's knows Weeks' story, so she believe landing a job at Southeastern Guide Dogs someday is attainable. Ryskamp said all kinds of things are possible.

"We hope McKenzie can gain her independence and see more of the world," Ryskamp said. "The world will open up to her and it will be fun to hear her stories. We love to see people blossom into new adventurers. It has fun to see McKenzie come out of her shell."

C.J. had waited patiently for Hanlon to finish her interview but she started to squirm, letting Hanlon know it was time to give her some attention.

"C.J. is an angel sent from heaven," Hanlon said as she snapped on C.J.'s harness. "I had been scared with the cane. With C.J., I can conquer the world."

The two of the turned and went out the door.