Steven Boyd - Gastroparesis & Amazing Dog Named Djaingo
From: Abigail Mahnke, host of Inner Views
Length: 26:15
In 2002, Steven was diagnosed with gastroparesis, a debilitating illness that is a partial paralysis of the stomach. On any given day, Steven has no idea whether or not his body will digest his food or if he'll be vomiting for the entire day. This has completely altered his life - he can no longer work - this after a hardcore military life where he was a sniper, paratrooper and counter narcotics officer. He has been in the hospital over 84 times, had 4 heart attacks, 7 kidney failures and 13 surgeries.
Admitting to some exceptionally low times in life and contemplating suicide, Steven adopted Djaingo, an Australian cattle dog slated to be euthanized the next day. Djaingo went from being a fearful and aggressive dog deemed untrainable, to a sweet, loving and highly trained dog. You may have seen Djaingo saying grace on YouTube - www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN5Ype29zuM - the video sensation that has been viewed over 7 million times and featured on Jay Leno, David Letterman, CNN and Fox.
Steven takes us through the illness, how he's affected by it, and how he spends his time. He tells us about Djaingo and his transformation, how Djaingo alerts the neighbors when Steven needs medical help, and how he has gotten past those low, low points when he no longer wanted to exist.
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Piece Description
In 2002, Steven was diagnosed with gastroparesis, a debilitating illness that is a partial paralysis of the stomach. On any given day, Steven has no idea whether or not his body will digest his food or if he'll be vomiting for the entire day. This has completely altered his life - he can no longer work - this after a hardcore military life where he was a sniper, paratrooper and counter narcotics officer. He has been in the hospital over 84 times, had 4 heart attacks, 7 kidney failures and 13 surgeries.
Admitting to some exceptionally low times in life and contemplating suicide, Steven adopted Djaingo, an Australian cattle dog slated to be euthanized the next day. Djaingo went from being a fearful and aggressive dog deemed untrainable, to a sweet, loving and highly trained dog. You may have seen Djaingo saying grace on YouTube - www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN5Ype29zuM - the video sensation that has been viewed over 7 million times and featured on Jay Leno, David Letterman, CNN and Fox.
Steven takes us through the illness, how he's affected by it, and how he spends his time. He tells us about Djaingo and his transformation, how Djaingo alerts the neighbors when Steven needs medical help, and how he has gotten past those low, low points when he no longer wanted to exist.
Additional Credits
On-air credit to KOOP as follows:
Recorded at KOOP Radio 91.7 FM Austin, Texas
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