A woman suffering from a rare condition has shared footage of the incredible moment her service dog saved her life as she suffered a sudden episode at home.
Katie Graham, 24, has had postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) since childhood, which causes symptoms including a fast heart rate, dizziness and fatigue when going from sitting or lying down to standing.
In 2019, she was given Australian Shepherd, Bailey, as a service dog to help her during sudden attacks.
During a recent episode, a camera in Katie’s house captured the moment Bailey stepped in to warn her of an impending episode, even fetching her medicine and water.
The TikTok has gone viral, garnering 24 million views and 2.7 million likes, and leaving viewers in tears.
“I am so unbelievably grateful to have Bailey in my life,” Katie from Kennesaw, Georgia, told NeedToKnow.co.uk. “Bailey is trained to pick up a scent my body gives off prior to going into a medical episode. This gives me enough time to get to a safe spot and prepare to lose consciousness.”
According to Katie, her syndrome is “a very debilitating disability and can cause a person to randomly faint,” so her dog is “trained to go get my medication, water, and anything that I need during the time I have to stay on the ground”.
“He does deep pressure therapy which helps prevent blood pooling which could ultimately make me not faint. He will go get help if I stop breathing and does hugs to help calm me,” she continued. “He is so determined and quick-witted, I know that despite any challenge, he will ensure to do his job and keep me safe. He allows me to have freedom and to feel safe even when I am alone.
“He is my lifeline and I could not live without him.”
In the clip, Katie could be seen working on her laptop in the kitchen before standing up. As she walked, four-year-old Bailey noticed something was wrong, and jumped on to her to get her to sit down.
After he sat his owner down, the dog jumped onto a chair to grab her medicine from the counter, before opening the fridge and grabbing her a bottle of water. After handing her the bottle, he sat on Katie to give deep pressure therapy.
The post was captioned: “Often times POTS hits you in the most random moments, which is why Bailey is so vital to my health. I was just trying to get a drink to go with my sandwich and apparently my heart decided to not work correctly.
“Without Bailey, I would’ve fainted and could’ve hit my head.”
Thousands of viewers commented on the clip, with many saying they were left in tears.
One person said: “I have POTS and this would be an actual lifesaver,” while another added: “Service dogs continue to blow my mind.”
Another viewer wrote: “Dogs were literally sent from heaven.”
“I will never know how service dogs detect these things, but they’re absolute heroes,” someone else said.
Others referred to the dog as a “hero,” with one person writing: “The way he does it with such haste, not a moment wasted, no hesitation, a real hero.”
“GIVE THAT PUP AN AWARD,” added someone else.
