Dogs Help Woman Recover After Brain Surgery

Amanda Vrem has always loved the company of dogs. In fact, throughout her life, dogs have saved her many times.

When Amanda Vrem was 17, she was sleeping next to her boxer, Lucy. In the middle of the night, Lucy began barking wildly and woke the household. Vrem was having the first of many seizures and Lucy saved her life.

After being diagnosed with diabetes at the young age of 11, Vrem began having a series of related problems. Her mother, Laurie, owns a pet grooming shop. Ever since her daughter’s diagnosis, Laurie says that her daughter has been drawn to less fortunate dogs.

rapidcityjournal.com
rapidcityjournal.com

Now, Vrem has had to rely on her canine companions once more. Within the past few years, it was discovered that Vrem was missing a group of broad band nerve fibers called corpus callosum that connects the two hemispheres of her brain. That missing connection was the next link in her diagnosis.

After seeing a specialist, it was determined that Vrem needed to undergo brain surgery at 30 years old. After receiving the surgery last year, she experienced further health problems. After suffering a stroke and enduring another brain surgery to place a metal plate in her head, Vrem and her parents were distressed.

Then, a few months after her surgeries began, a smile returned to Vrem’s face. She found the ‘dog of her dreams’. A bull terrier named Spud is now being trained to be her companion, life saver, and service dog. After a life full of serious medical problems, Vrem is hoping that having Spud as a companion will give her life a sense of normalcy.

Her mother runs a pet grooming and boarding business in Deadwood, South Dakota called “The Paw Spa”. Amanda Vrem helps out when she can and seems to really enjoy the company of the dogs ever since she was little. It can only be hoped that Spud can help Amanda Vrem to live a more comfortable and normal life.