Lola = Life
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Colette and I am 32 years old. At the age of 21 I graduated from the University of Brighton as an Adult Nurse, and I thought I had my future planned. However, at the age of 25, I fell down the stairs and my life changed forever.
After suffering a head injury, I sustained left-sided paralysis which affected my mobility, my ability to swallow and also the use of my left hand. Things seemed to be improving, until I started to have dystonic seizures. Dystonia is a movement disorder that causes muscle spasms and contractions. These seizures cause agonising pain, and when I am having a storm of them, I do not know how long this will last for.
When I first started to have these seizures, I lost all ability to walk, swallow and the use of my left hand. I was advised by professionals that I would end up in a nursing home needing 24 hour care, and that I would never walk again. I was not ready for this to happen, and I taught myself to walk again. I still suffer with unsteadiness, and I regularly use a wheelchair or a frame to balance myself. I also have carers visit me daily to help me with basic tasks such as dressing myself and carrying items.
10 months ago, I got Lola. I decided to train her as an assistance dog myself so that I could get back to a life worth living. However, funding has proven difficult, and as Lola is now a year old, it is a race against time to complete her training before she becomes untrainable.
After suffering a head injury, I sustained left-sided paralysis which affected my mobility, my ability to swallow and also the use of my left hand. Things seemed to be improving, until I started to have dystonic seizures. Dystonia is a movement disorder that causes muscle spasms and contractions. These seizures cause agonising pain, and when I am having a storm of them, I do not know how long this will last for.
When I first started to have these seizures, I lost all ability to walk, swallow and the use of my left hand. I was advised by professionals that I would end up in a nursing home needing 24 hour care, and that I would never walk again. I was not ready for this to happen, and I taught myself to walk again. I still suffer with unsteadiness, and I regularly use a wheelchair or a frame to balance myself. I also have carers visit me daily to help me with basic tasks such as dressing myself and carrying items.
10 months ago, I got Lola. I decided to train her as an assistance dog myself so that I could get back to a life worth living. However, funding has proven difficult, and as Lola is now a year old, it is a race against time to complete her training before she becomes untrainable.
Organizer
Colette Emsley
Organizer
