How one loyal guide dog changed a Paralympian’s life

Paralympic swimmer Anastasia Pagonis had always been active in sports until a genetic disease began to take away her sight.

The 17-year-old started to lose her vision when she was 11, due to Stargardt’s disease, a genetic disorder that causes macular degeneration, which left her completely blind at 14.

But what could have ended a bright journey in competition was reignited by two things: finding a coach willing to train a blind swimmer and, more importantly, the true companionship, love and support of a guide dog named Radar.

Radar, a Golden Lab was matched with Anastasia after undergoing two years of training to assist the visually impaired and today, as she counts down to competing in the Tokyo Paralympics, the teen says she couldn’t imagine life without him.

View the original video here.

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