Meet Olivia, the service dog of a Narcoleptic with severe cataplexy

Today I happened across a heartwarming patient story on Talk About Sleep that I had to share with all of you. 

The story is about a Narcoleptic named Andrea, whose severe cataplexy sometimes left her paralyzed for 20-3o minutes at a time.  Afraid of having such an attack in public while alone, she stayed home most of the time, causing her to be extremely depressed, struggling with suicidal thoughts, and no longer able to do the things she once did (like going to church). 

It was only one night when a suicide hotline counselor she talked with sent a team to her house that she learned from one of the team members that having a service dog might help her.

From there, the story gets brighter. 

Andrea was eventually able to get such a dog with the help of a non-profit organization that covered the (significant) cost of a dog for her.  Now, she is once again out and about and no longer suffering from the crippling depression she had before she found her dog, whose name is Olivia.

Although Andrea got her service dog mainly because of her severe cataplexy, it turns out that having Olivia has also helped her in her struggle with depression.  She even talks about how her dog has occasionally reminded her that she is not going the wrong way to get home when she is in what she calls a “Narcoleptic fog.”  (Apparently her dog even knows the command “Go home,” which I thought was quite impressive. :-) )

The article is exceptionally well written and also contains lots of information about service dogs, including what you have to do to get one and what it is like to have one. 

If you suffer from severe cataplexy like Andrea or are interested in service dogs in general, this is a must read.  Andrea is clearly very interested in helping other Narcoleptics with problems similar to her own, and she even included her contact information in the article, in case you are looking for more information.

But regardless of whether you might personally benefit from a service dog like Andrea’s, I found her story to be inspiring and full of hope. 

It also touched my heart to think that there are organizations and people out there willing to pay the $16,000 to change the life of one person in need of a special dog.  I think that is a beautiful thing. 

You might also say her story is a testimonial to the special bond between man and dog, and the amazing things that dogs are capable of.

And okay, I’m also just a dog lover who loves stories about dogs.

Discussion questions:  Does anyone have a service dog for Narcolepsy? (I know it’s very uncommon, but hey, I can ask, right?)  And for the rest of us, does anyone find that having a dog or other pet helps them better deal with Narcolepsy?