Isabelle & Ralph

A partnership from birth

Isabelle developed PoTs as a teenager, just after finishing her GCSE exams. Life became dominated by emergency visits to Accident and Emergency, following injuries caused by her repeated and constant collapses. ‘No doctor or medication could help’, says Isabelle. “I couldn’t do the normal things a teenager would do. I would just collapse all the time. It felt like I was just existing and being left behind’.

Isabelle heard about the work of MDD through a family friend who is also a District Nurse. “I hoped having a dog trained by Medical Detection Dogs would prevent my injuries and reduce the amount of ambulance calls’, says Isabelle. ’I thought a dog would give me back my independence and freedom so that I could start living instead of existing’. And so a plan was developed to provide a family bred dog especially for Isabelle. Ralph, a cockapoo who is now 2 years old, was delivered into the world by Isabelle herself and they now have a very loving and close relationship.

Isabelle doesn’t deny the partnership training was hard but she always found it rewarding and credits MDD Instructors with providing incredible support.’ Ralph is a completely different dog from when he started training’, says Isabelle. ‘He has changed my world. I can go out with him knowing I’m safe and can cross a road without worrying I’m going to hit my head if I collapse. I can meet friends and have my independence and freedom back. Since having Ralph I haven’t been back to A &E.’

And it’s not just Isabelle’s life that has improved, her family have also hugely benefited. ‘Living my life with Ralph by my side means there is so much less worry for everyone. It has completely changed life for me and my family. I can’t imagine life without him now.

He’s changed my world. He‘s brought back my spark and made my world so much brighter’.