145 - Paws on the Path - Hiking the Pondo Trail with Angela Blackwell and Guide Dog Jaydee

Today I chat with Angela Blackwell, the first blind person to hike the Pondo Trail in South Africa with her guide dog, Jaydee. Angela discusses how Jaydee helped her regain her confidence and independence after her diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa resulted in significant loss of visual acuity. Hiking the Pondo Trail, a four day hike on the East coast of South Africa became a challenge that Angela set for herself as a way of raising awareness that blindness does not mean living small. She is also using the project as a fund-raiser for the South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind. Follow Ange and Jaydees experience on the show and connect with them online: Instagram: @Angel on the Blindside. Please also support their fundraising at https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/paws-on-the-path Image Description: A woman sitting on a large piece of driftwood on a sandy riverbank beside a white dog. The woman has short brown hair and light skin, and she is wearing a light gray T-shirt and denim shorts, barefoot, resting her chin on her hand and facing to the right with a calm, thoughtful expression. The dog is sitting close to her left side, wearing a collar, and also facing to the right. A wide, calm river stretches behind them, with green, tree-covered hills on both sides and a pale sky with light clouds. I’d love to hear from you – contact me at Website : loisstrachan.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lstrachan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loisstrachanspeaker This episode edited by Craig Strachan using Hindenburg PRO – find out more on Hindenburg.com Credits and music by Charlie Dyasi.