Alumni Spotlight
Gail Kilbourn Keeps Her Household Moving
It’s hard to get Gail’s entire family in the picture and sitting still all at once. Front row: Matthew, Gail, Mya, Jacob, Skye and Joshua; Back row: Pnina-Maria and Roger Kilbourn, Gail’s husband. Pnina (pronounced “Pa-nee-nah”) is the first exchange student placed with a blind person by the Youth for Understanding program.
Imagine a household of three boys, a German exchange student, and two dogs – seems like a busy place, but it works just fine for Gail Kilbourn. “It’s nice having to care for my family every day,” says Gail with a laugh, “sometimes they run me ragged, but someone has to do it.” Gail is often surprised when people are amazed that she can raise three boys with her visual impairment. Blind since birth, Gail is just living her life the way she knows how - for her, not seeing is normal.
Gail received her first Leader Dog in 1990 and has been working with dog guides ever since. Her sons (Joshua – 8, Jacob – 7, and Matthew – 1) are used to having Gail’s current Leader Dog “Mya” go everywhere with them. “I don’t need to explain to people that they can’t pet Mya when she is working,” she says. “The boys do it for me. When told to, Mya will even follow Joshua through stores and restaurants. She won’t follow Jacob yet, I guess she thinks he’s still too small.”
Even though Gail and Mya have only been working together since October of 2008, they have developed an unspoken understanding of how fast to walk in different situations. “I’ve noticed that Mya is extra careful and walks slower if I’m carrying the baby or have the older boys with me. When it’s just her and I, we both take advantage of the fact that we can walk at a faster pace.”
“I think having Skye (her retired Leader Dog) and Mya in our family adds as much to my husband and sons’ lives as it does to mine. They really are a part of your life in a way that most family pets aren’t.”