Laura Johnson and I joined Dr. Joyce Gerardi, Veterinarian specializing in Mobile Arthritis Therapy and Regenerative Veterinary Medicine to learn more about her non-profit, Kindred-canines In Motion in Motion (KIM).
The radio interview has been condensed due to time restraints and is aired on New Bern’s TalkRadio Station WNOS 97.1FM and 1450AM. You can listen to the entire audio interview here:
We had the pleasure of meeting Joyce’s Niece, Kimberly Clarke and her service assistance dog, Dugan; Joyce’s Mother, Lorraine Gerardi and her emotional support dog, Miss Dorothy; and Joyce’s certified hearing dog, Mr. Moore.
Kindred-canines In Motion was named after her Niece, Kim. Their mission is to offer general wellness mobile care to people who have a disability and rely on a certified service or assistance animal every day of their life to stay active and in motion.
Joyce started this organization out of her passion to help people living with disabilities in 2012. She works with people who are visually impaired or blind and hearing impaired or deaf, as Joyce knows firsthand how hearing loss impacts lives and relies on her hearing dog, Mr. Moore. Her Niece, Kimberly was the inspirational force behind starting KIM, as she fell off of Joyce’s horse in 1997 and left her as a quadriplegic.
Kim shared her inspirational story of how Dugan has profoundly impacted her quality of life and helped her become an independent woman. Kim said that Dugan, “he really makes it a lot easier for me to live on my own and gives me the confidence, especially at night. I know that he’s always on guard. He makes living on my own a lot easier, emotionally, mentally, and physically”.
Joyce told us, “Kindred-canines In Motion has a unique mission. They want to be able to bring specialized care to veterans, the wounded warriors program, the deaf, the blind, and other people who have immobility’s who actively depend on a service or assistance animal.”
As a Veterinarian specializing in pain management, Joyce wants to be able to offer new technologies to service and assistance animals. When these special dogs get older, they have the same problems that we do. They get arthritis and degenerative diseases. When this happens, Joyce wants to keep these highly trained animals in peak working performance so they can serve those with a disability longer.
Kindred-canines uses alternative care therapies like Adipose Stem Cell therapy and Regenerative therapies such as Platelet Rich Plasma, Cold Laser and Acupuncture so these special canines can serve pain free with a quality life as long as possible.
You can make a difference in the lives of the dogs who serve people living with disabilities! Find out how by visiting their website: www.kindred-caninesinmotion.org. KIM is a 501(c)3 and all donations can be made through their online donate button.
Please contact Dr. Joyce Gerardi via email with any questions or if you can help with fund raising activities and events.
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Wendy Card