A woman with multiple chronic illnesses shares how her medical alert dog, Mae the Labrador, transformed her life by detecting medical episodes, restoring independence, improving mental health, and enabling her to complete her PhD.
The author met Mae, a black labrador, in 2023 when Mae was 11 weeks old, describing it as 'love at first sight'. Living with multiple sclerosis, postural tachycardia syndrome, and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, the author struggled with physical and mental symptoms and needed a medical alert dog. Due to long waiting lists, she decided to train Mae herself with the help of the Medical Detection Dogs charity. Before Mae, the author would often fall and injure herself, waking up alone. Now, Mae can detect an impending medical episode – characterized by a drastic increase in heart rate leading to fainting – based on the author's smell. Mae alerts her with an intense stare or a gentle jump if her back is turned, and has even adapted to stare at whoever holds her lead to prompt action. After an episode, Mae often fetches her treat pot and toys, providing a calming and magical presence. Mae has profoundly changed the author's life, allowing her to regain independence, including horse riding and driving. She credits Mae with helping her complete her PhD in cancer research, which took eight years but was finished in the three years Mae has been her pet and two years of reliable alerting. Mae provides daily motivation, helps clear her head during walks, and has significantly improved her mental health, resolving a past mental health crisis and alleviating anxiety for both the author and her family, who previously worried about her living alone. The author describes Mae as her 'saviour' and dedicated her PhD to her, stating she cannot imagine existing without her.
