In June 2023, Jim McDermott was in a serious car accident. The married father of two girls had a “normal, steady life with a full-time job” and was involved in church and ministry outreach.
But on his way home from work one day, everything would change. The accident left him with a significant traumatic brain injury. McDermott underwent frontal lobe and sinus surgery to repair a cerebrospinal fluid leak.
“I was in a coma for nearly a month and a half,” he tells Upworthy. “As I was starting to wake up, the doctors realized that I had significant optic nerve damage in both eyes. What started out with blurry vision led to full blindness of no light perception (NLP) by the time I came home from the hospital.”
Recovery would be a long process, but it would lead him to a life-changing resource: a yellow lab named Keanu, whom McDermott met through Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
Recovering and connecting with Guiding Eyes for the Blind
When McDermott woke up from the coma, he felt “regenerated from the Lord.” His recovery went faster than expected, and he returned home.
Without his eyesight, there was a lot to adjust to. His mobility specialist, Carol, was connected with Guiding Eyes for the Blind and suggested he get a guide dog early on. But he was overwhelmed.
“At the time, I felt like I had so much going on, so I just moved forward with using a cane,” he tells Upworthy. “Then, about two years later, I remembered what Carol told me, and [she] helped me start the process with Guiding Eyes for the Blind.”
A guide dog would help him re-gain freedom.
“I wanted to have more independence and not be so dependent on my family or a live guide, and a guide dog was the best option,” he adds.
Photo Courtesy: Guiding Eyes for the Blind
McDermott meets Keanu
Keanu was placed with the McDermott family on July 7, 2026.
“I can truly say that I love Keanu,” says McDermott. “We hit it off the first day we met. I could tell that he truly cared about me the same way I cared about him.”
McDermott and Keanu train together, which he notes is “challenging.” But Keanu has quickly become another member of the family.
“Now that I have him home every morning when we start the day, he will wake up on the floor beside me and take his nose and find my nose and wake me up with kisses,” says McDermott. “He is confirming that I’m there and checking on me. Then when the day starts, he is great at getting me around to everywhere I want to go and is continuing to learn those and more places as well.”
The family also has another dog, Cooper, who has adjusted well to his new brother.
“He loves waking up our girls each morning for school with kisses and jumping on the bed,” McDermott adds. “Everyone tells me that Keanu has the best facial expressions and talks with his eyebrows! Keanu is truly the best dog!”
Keanu has given McDermott the personal freedom he had been longing for.
“The independence has allowed me to just to be able to walk outside my door alone,” he shares. “It has been great while I’m out with my family to be able to go shopping and walking alone.”
Photo Courtesy: Guiding Eyes for the Blind
Keanu meets the community
Having Keanu has also helped McDermott continue his ministry.
“Keanu goes everywhere with our ministry and outreaches. He is very well known with the people we serve,” McDermott tells Upworthy.
Keanu assists McDermott on college campuses and at his biweekly “Pull in for Prayer.” There, McDermott holds up a sign encouraging people to pull over for prayer, and Keanu patiently helps while staying by McDermott’s side.
Photo Courtesy: Guiding Eyes for the Blind
McDermott also brings Keanu along for community outreach and education on guide dogs. “Keanu plays a big role in attracting people to come to our table,” he adds.
Having Keanu has changed McDermott’s life, and he encourages others with vision needs to consider getting a guide dog and working with Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
“You will not just come home with a guide dog, but a new family member that loves you and truly cares about each of your steps,” says McDermott.
