Tina Guenette

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who helped me receive my adaptive van. Because of that van, RAMP is flourishing, I was able to continue my advocacy across the country, and I was honored to step into the role as Acting Chair of the United States Access Board.

That van protected my independence and allowed me to keep showing up for our community. I will never forget that.

AND NOW, I NEED YOUR HELP AGAIN — TO HONOR LOGAN AND WELCOME LEGEND.

I recently lost my beloved service dog, Logan. Logan was so much more than a service dog — he was my independence, my safety, my partner in advocacy. He served with unwavering loyalty and opened doors that made my work possible.

What Logan did for me every single day:

Logan was trained to do the tasks that my disability makes difficult or unsafe to do alone. He would:

Retrieve dropped items, my phone, keys, and other essentials

Open and close doors and drawers

Provide balance and stability for transfers

Carry items so I could keep my hands free to push my chair

Help with light switches and pushing elevator and automatic door buttons

Provide deep pressure therapy during medical episodes and anxiety

Be my constant safety net in public, at events, and at home

He gave me the freedom to work, travel, and advocate without having to wait for or rely on someone else.

Please meet Legend. Legend is not a replacement for Logan. He is an extension of everything Logan taught me — carrying forward the love, the lessons, and the legacy of service.

The reality most people don’t see:

When you lose a service dog, you lose your independence overnight. And the transition to a new service dog can take up to two years on a waitlist.

Even when you are matched, the cost for a fully trained service dog is between $20,000 and $40,000 — a cost that is completely out of reach for most people with disabilities.

That is why, in Logan’s honor, we are creating The GAP Program — Logan’s Legacy.

GAP stands for Grief, Advocacy, and Partnership. There is currently no support for what happens in that gap — no bereavement support, no help with retraining costs, no bridge for the time you are without your service dog.

Logan’s Legacy will fill that gap by providing:

Bereavement support for handlers who lose their service dog

Financial assistance for the $20,000-$40,000 training and placement cost

Advocacy and resources during the up-to-two-year transition without a service dog

Your donation will help Legend and me start this next chapter together, and it will help build Logan’s Legacy so no one has to navigate this loss alone.

My family and friends are raising funds through the nonprofit Help Hope Live in my honor to ensure fiscal accountability and tax-deductibility for contributors.

Please click the GIVE button to donate, and please share this page.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME:

My name is Tina Guenette. I’m a 4x cancer survivor, a 4x stroke survivor, and 8 years ago I walked into a minor surgery and had a spinal stroke that paralyzed me from the waist down.

I refused to let that moment define me. I founded RAMP – Real Access Motivates Progress in 2019 and now serve as its CEO, Founder & President and as Acting Chair of the U.S. Access Board.

I am also the first person with a physical disability to win a national title in a mainstream pageant — now a 3-time national title holder — with over 4,700 hours of community service in a single year. Community service is part of my DNA.

With all I have been through, I still wake up every day with optimism, because there is still so much work to do to build a world where no one is sidelined by stigma or lack of access.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

With gratitude,

Tina Guenette

CEO, Founder & President, RAMP

Acting Chair, United States Access Board

For more information, contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399