Living with a carrot obsessed, food loving labrador has turned Lauren’s life through 180 degrees and she loves it. ‘Lena, means people don’t call ambulances’, says Lauren who has multiple complex health conditions, including PoTs. 

Lena, aka Beans was a wild puppy ‘full of beans’, but now 4 years old barely leaves Lauren’s side. She not only fetches things for Lauren, who uses a wheelchair, but also alerts to oncoming health episodes by resting her head on Lauren. She is so good at her job Lauren has not injured herself because of PoTs since she arrived.

Life at university, studying English language and linguistics, had been difficult for Lauren. She couldn’t be alone unless she was in bed. ‘I felt like I was constantly being babysat’, says Lauren, adding ‘I had little or no warning before a faint, which often left me in dangerous situations. Medication only slightly improved my condition and I wondered if an MDD dog could help me. I wanted nothing more than to be able to get out and lead my life as safely as possible in any way I could’.

Lauren, who lives independently in Brighton now finds life a lot less chaotic. “I have a part time job. I wake up early. In the morning I have a routine. Having just that little bit of warning to allow myself some time to get onto the floor or to let my personal assistants or family know I might become unwell makes the world of difference. I can leave the house. My family don’t have to check in on me so often and I have more independence with Lena’.

Lena has helped in other ways too. She is a real asset socially. “People talk to me about her, whereas previously they would only talk to me about my wheelchair or cross the street to avoid me’, says Lauren. ‘As a family we have had some really difficult times and Lena has helped us through. She makes me laugh and smile without fail’. So Lauren doesn’t regret leaving her slobber free life behind in favour of her massive foodie of a dog and their life together.