Bertie Jacobs
“‘Vogue’, as in the magazine,” is how Cornelle Leach describes the name of her pitch-black Labrador bitch. Vogue, who excitedly barked at her very first tortoise in the Botanical Gardens the other day. Five-year-old Vogue who recently grabbed a small boy’s ice cream from his hand and sauntered on as if nothing had happened. “I just heard ‘ghraappp’ and found out afterwards what she had done. Butter could not melt in her mouth,” relates Cornelle. Vogue, who has been her guide dog for the past three years. “We have a very special relationship. Vogue is more than my pet, she is more than a mere guide dog. She is my partner. She exercises with me, she studies with me, she writes exams with me, she attends the graduation with me and she will also be there on my wedding day.” Thát Vogue.
On Friday, 1 April these two inseparable friends walked onto the stage of the auditorium on the campus of the North-West University in Potchefstroom together to receive their honours degree in Tourism Management.
“I decided that I would continue studying until I could walk onto that stage to receive my degree. I am so excited and so grateful. I waited a long time for this day.”
She missed her first graduation ceremony as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, but on Friday her mother, Yolande, and her father, Eddie, were there to see how she was rewarded in an appropriate manner for her hard work.
Cornelle suffers from Stargardt disease, a degenerative eye condition that was diagnosed at a very early stage. “I was born with sight, but it deteriorated gradually. In Grade 1 I realised that I had trouble seeing – for example I could not cut something straight. I have no central vision, only peripheral vision. I can distinguish between light and dark and big and small, but I can see no detail.”
Three years ago she reached her turning point. “It was a big step to accept that I was handicapped and that I needed a guide dog. I do regret it that I did not make this decision earlier. I was like a hermit, I bumped into people. I did not go shopping, I could not walk alone on campus. Vogue changed my life, she opened so many doors for me. She improved my self-image. I could now go to the gym by myself, I could go to class by myself. Suddenly I was mobile. And just look where I am now. She attended every class with me. Thanks to her I am where I am today.”
Cornelle is currently busy with her master’s degree in Tourism at the NWU, where she is working towards designing a model for tourism destinations that will make their accommodation and facilities more accessible for people with disabilities.
“I also want to complete my doctoral degree and stay in academics. I would love to become a lecturer, as I thoroughly enjoy the research.”
And Vogue, what is she going to do with her qualification?
She laughs: “Vogue will probably open a tourism destination for dogs somewhere, examine all the possibilities and smell everything that she sets her nose to!”
Besides her academic achievements Cornelle is also a talented swimmer who boasts quite a number of South African records. She will be competing in the World Championships for people with disabilities in Portugal this year and then the Commonwealth Games are her target.
Keeping her head above water and staying motivated. This is also her message to everyone who feels that their handicap is an insurmountable stumbling block: “Just keep on believing in yourself. A disability does not mean that you cannot achieve something, it only gives you more reason to achieve that. You can do so much more than you can imagine.”
Click here to watch a video of Cornelle graduating
Cornelle with her mom Yolande, her dad Eddie and her co-graduate, Vogue.
