Bean is a special pit bull who loves life. The two-year old Staffordshire Terrier began having symptoms of choking and pneumonia early in life. This led to a diagnosis of muscular dystrophy and profound swallowing dysfunction. In an effort to save her life, Drs. Belafsky and Kuhn performed the world’s first laryngectomy in a canine with dysphagia.
Bean has been living with her stoma for 6 months and is doing great. She loves playing soccer with her family and wags her tail so hard she falls down. Bean attends human laryngectomy support groups as a service dog and has been an inspiration to us all.