Joey Ramp + Sampson, Foosland, IL

“In 2006, an accident left me with 23 broken bones and a Traumatic Brain Injury. A survivor of childhood abuse and an 18-year abusive marriage, I also had invisible scars made worse by the darkness of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ( PTSD). I lost everything that had meaning until I met Sampson through Paws Giving Independence. With his ‘this is the best day ever’ attitude, instead of choosing suicide, I went to college to study neuroscience, hoping to help others with PTSD/TBI. Sam has been my strength as a service dog in a field filled with barriers. He is the first service dog to gain access to most academic and research laboratories at the University of Illinois. With Sam as the ambassador for service dogs in academia, we have promoted policy change nationwide, stood up to discrimination, bureaucracy, and closed-door committees on university campuses, spoken to dozens of organizations, brought international attention to help end discrimination in academia, taken legal steps to end disability discrimination in science, gained the support of international biosecurity officials, assisted in the development of training protocols for university faculty on service dog etiquette, and helped develop a non-profit organization to assist scientists with disabilities: The International Alliance for Ability in Science. Sam and I have work ahead of us. One paw print at a time, walking with the canine miracle that saved my life, I can look behind us now without seeing only ghosts and shadows. I see positive change.”—

“My dog has given me the independence to complete a degree in neuroscience, [allowing me to] understand my own condition, rebuild my life, [and also] assist others with PTSD and brain injury.”