Jade and Jules

Jules, the Medical Alert Assistance Dog who has lit up Jade’s whole world

22 year old animal lover, Jade, is studying to become a vet. Nothing remarkable about that you might think, until you appreciate the courage and determination Jade, who suffers from PoTS, has shown to achieve her dream.

From her early teenage years, Jade began to suffer unpredictable faints, often injuring herself as she fell to the ground without warning. Secondary school was plagued by absences and she ended up having to try to teach herself from subject notes. “I wasn’t able to go on school trips without family members going with me. I didn’t get to go out with friends or do the typical things teenagers do. I went years without going to shops or cafes. I didn’t even know how to use a contactless payment card until recently,” says Jade.

After achieving the grades she needed to study veterinary medicine at university, Jade decided to follow her dream and move away from home, hoping a fresh start would be different from school. But, Jade continues; “It became very scary when I was getting injured alone in university accommodation with no family nearby and being unable to tell someone. I frequently had ambulance call outs for head related concussions, cuts and black eyes.”

Her practical work was dangerous too and she became afraid of working with scalpels or with large animals as it was too risky to lose consciousness without warning in those environments. Her concentration on the subject matter was also affected as she focused on her environment, trying to make sure she wouldn’t hurt herself if she did collapse.

After having an episode in the middle of a four lane road one day, Jade became fearful of crossing any road and was reluctant to leave her accommodation. This led to her becoming more isolated and anxious. Jade ended up being strapped into a wheelchair to prevent further injury if she did faint and decided to take some time out of university.

During a 2 year break from her studies, life was limited to her family home. She did not go out for months and even within the home she had to crawl along the floor to try to avoid injuring herself in a collapse. “I completely lost all independence, and my dream university course. I felt I had lost all my hope for the future,” she says.

After hearing about the work of MDD and how others with PoTS had been helped, Jade applied to the charity for help but never thought she would be lucky enough to be matched with an alert dog. “I thought there was nothing to lose by applying in a last ditch attempt at having as close to normal a life as possible.”

Her life has now been transformed by Jules, a 3 year old fox red Labrador. Now back at university, Jade knows Jules will always alert her 2-5 minutes before an episode, allowing her to sit or lie down. Jules can even detect the onset of more serious episodes, signaling slightly differently to Jade for those, by puffing out his cheeks meaning that she must lie down. “It is just incredible. He taught himself the difference between episodes and adjusts his alerts accordingly. He has made a huge difference to my life. I can work on off-site practicals, and concentrate in labs. I am much happier, calmer and more confident."

"Jules has come bounding into my life as the brightest golden ray of light and completely lit up my whole world. I know he has everything under control. He is my lifesaving miracle dog.”

Created by Neil Pollock

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