Emily’s four-legged companion can smell when she is about to have a blackout
20-YEAR-OLD WITH RARE CONDITION CAN KEEP HER INDEPENDENCE THANKS TO DOG’S ABILITY TO SNIFF OUT WARNING SIGNS
He is my wet-nosed lifesaver. I now don’t have that level of fear hanging over me
Emily Cook
EVERY time Emily Cook falls unconscious, which can be once a week, she wakes up with the inability to speak, see or sometimes even walk.
She has to learn how to do these things we take for granted all over again.
At 21, it means she will never be able to follow her dreams of becoming a doctor, and has to avoid places where a sudden unconscious episode could cause serious injury.
But Emily, of Stapleford, remains positive and has trained the family dog Barna to detect her sudden blackouts five minutes before they happen. The Hungarian vizsla was initially to offer companionship during some of Emily’s toughest days, but the puppy, now five, soon became her lifeline to the outside world.
Barna allows Emily to find a place of safety before she has an unconscious episode, and allows her to call her parents to alert them.
Her family says there is no cure for the complex neurological condition and consultants are not sure what the future might hold.
Emily has Functional neurological disorder (FND) – a medical condition in which there is a problem with the functioning of the nervous system and how the brain and body send and receive signals.
She told the Post: “My condition started at about 12 or 13 where one day at home I just passed out and put it down to getting up too quickly.
“It kept on happening and progressed from me being unconscious for minutes to a length of time, the record being three-and-a-half hours.
“The frequency also changed from once a week to every day or multiple times a day. At [school] Year 11, the neurological functions began.
“After I went unconscious I woke up and could not speak. My ability to speak had gone. I knew what I wanted to say but the words could not come out.
“It was a nightmare at school because it massively affected my education. I lost my speech before my English speaking exam.
“It got to a point I lost my eyesight and ability to walk. I could not walk for six months and had to learn to walk again. Every time I collapsed again I would go back to square one.”
Emily’s blackouts vary from every couple of days to once a month. It can take her up to two weeks for her functions to return to normal.
But she says having Barna by her constant side has been “the biggest help in living a normal life”.
“He is my warning system,” she said. “I have no awareness that I will go unconscious. It is like a light switch in my brain and I go to the floor. By being able to smell the pheromone change he lets me know and gives me a five-minute warning which allows me to get safe.
“I can call my parents or assistance I might need. Before, if I was in public, concerned members of the public would be calling ambulances.
“I had one once in the middle of the road. If I went out with friends and if I collapsed, people would think I was intoxicated or taking drugs and people would not help.
“With Barna with me, people stop, think and realise something medically is going on. He is my wet-nosed lifesaver. I now don’t have that level of fear hanging over me.”
Her mum Debbie Cook, 54, said: “It has had a huge impact on Emily’s independence and social life and what she has missed out on. It has been devastating and there is no way out of it. The condition will carry on and we won’t know if it will get better or worse.
“Barna is not just a family pet now. Without him, as parents, we would still be worried about where Emily went, but Barna has given her some independence back and she can get on with her life.”
Before the pandemic hit, Emily started volunteering at Wollaton Hall. She would love to work at the National History Museum in the near future.
“I wanted to go to university and study medicine but I understand with my health it is difficult.,” she said. “It would have been fantastic to be a doctor but I have to put myself first and I have to go with what my body is letting me do,” she added.
She now wants to give back to Medical Detection Dogs – a charity which trains dogs like Barna – and hopes to raise £30,000.
A spokeswoman for the charity said: “Medical Detection Dogs trains dogs to save lives using their amazing sense of smell. Medical alert assistance dogs like Barna detect a change in their human’s odour which means their medical condition is about to become serious, and warn them so they can take the necessary action.
“It doesn’t matter where they are or what they’re doing, that nose will know danger is imminent. We are so proud to train these lifesavers with fluffy coats and waggy tails.”
To help Emily raise the total amount and support the charity, go to www.justgiving.com/team/teambarna