Success Stories
Nels and Targa

My name is Nels Ritola and I live in the small town of Emerson, Nebraska, with my Wife Gretchen. My wife and I are ordained ministers in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. While Gretchen continues to serve the two Lutheran churches in town, I have been unable to work for the last four years due to progressive cerebellar ataxia.

For many years, the cause of my ataxia was unknown, but in September of 2002 I was diagnosed with gluten intolerance (a protein found in wheat). This allergy normally causes a gastrointestinal disease, but can also cause damage to the brain in regions controlling balance and fine motor movements. There are further complications due to an arterial venous malformation on my brainstem, which is inoperable due to its location.

It is a relief to finally know the cause of my ataxia and to know that with treatment its progression can be greatly slowed and even halted. However, there is no cure for the ataxia, and I will continue to have difficulties walking. I cannot walk any significant distance by myself. I also am unable to walk up and down hills of handle any type of sloping surface without assistance. It is difficult for me to walk without assistance on any surface that is not paved or smooth.

I cannot lead a service, make visits, or partake in any tasks requiring walking without assistance. Even the tasks that I can still do take much more effort and can be exhausting. And since my wife's work as a pastor often takes her out of town for hospital visits or meetings, my need for assistance with walking greatly limits my independence.

While there are many things I have great difficulty doing, I still have the desire to continue contributing to others as a pastor. I miss preaching and making visits to members of the congregation. This need for increased mobility and independence led me to investigate the option of a stability assistance dog. My daughter, Kimberly, told me about New Life Mobility Assistance Dogs in North Carolina where she lives. After meeting with Karen and Ann-Marie, I knew a stability assistance dog was the solution to so many of my problems.

A stability dog would allow me to become more active as a pastor once again and give me the independence and confidence to go out in public on my own. The stability dog would also give me something that a cane or walker couldn't -- companionship, someone to share the struggles and successes of my condition.