Hello, my name is Chloe. I am 26 years old and from Longton in Lancashire. I am looking to raise funds for an assistance dog , which would help to make my life a lot more bearable. I am used to pain as it’s been a lifelong struggle – however, this year it has intensified. I was born with hip dysplasia, which was missed at birth, resulting in major hip operations in late childhood and early teen years, leaving me with limited mobility, but after surgery completely changed my life around.

At 14 years of age, I started to get severe back pain – which continued over the next 3 years, which resulted in the pain getting worse. To the point I was unable to get out of bed, which ended up with frequent A&E visits. We then sought out the help of a spinal surgeon and after rigorous tests – I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), which is a progressive form of inflammatory arthritis.

AS mainly affects the spine but can also affect other joints, tendons and ligaments. The lower part of my spine was completely inflamed and I was told that at 18 years of age, my spine was at the stage of a 45-year-old with the condition. AS is a chronic condition, that cannot be cured, and is progressive – meaning it will continue to get worse. I am on biologics (called adalimumab) – this is an injection that blocks part of my immune system to reduce the inflammation that the condition causes. The condition is painful and affects my everyday life, however, over the last 8 years I have learned to cope with this as best I can. I came to accept the limitations and boundaries caused by the disease – despite my young age.

However, this year things have taken a turn for the worse. In the last 8 months, I have been diagnosed with two further chronic conditions – polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis, meaning I have 3 chronic conditions all before my 27th birthday. PCOS can cause hormonal imbalance, irregular periods, excess androgen levels, cysts in the ovaries as well as irregular periods which usually come with a lack of ovulation – leading to possible infertility. Endometriosis is where tissue that usually grows inside the uterus grows in other parts of the body – it has been labelled as one of the top 20 most painful conditions in the world by the NHS. I recently had surgery to remove the tissue from the back of my womb – we had to go private as the waiting times for this on the NHS would be long, something I could not wait for with the level of pain I am in – this was costly and although the surgery did not happen too long ago, the pain levels have not reduced.

These conditions have severely impacted not only my physical health, as I am currently in a wheelchair and constant agony - but my mental health has also taken a toll. I feel so lost, I thought I was finally getting somewhere. I graduated from university to achieve my dream of becoming a counsellor – I was beginning my career, with hopes of starting my life despite being set back in the past. However, since my recent diagnosis, I feel like I am back to square one.

After months of searching, I’m so happy to have finally found my perfect match with Hillside Paws for Life. Just like finding the right partner, they really took the time to understand me and what I need, so this journey feels like it was meant to be. Living with chronic illnesses isn’t just about the physical challenges- it can also mean feeling isolated and lonely. That’s why this partnership means so much. My assistance dog will be trained to do important tasks such as Deep pressure therapy (DPT) and interruption nudges and helping me with my mobility tasks, giving me more independence and making everyday life feel that little bit brighter.

Im absolutely thrilled to introduce my wonderful puppy-in-training (drumroll please)….

Louie!

Right now, Louie is focusing on mastering the basics, but once he’s nailed obedience training, he’ll be moving on to more advanced task work. Having his support means the world to me, and I’m so excited for what’s ahead on this journey.

I’ll be sharing regular Louie-dates, so if you’d like to follow along with his progress, stay tuned!

A huge thank you to everyone who has donated- no matter the size, your support means the world to me. I truly can’t put into words how much I appreciate it!