Irvine woman says pet dog saved her life following cancer treatment
Erin Phairs was diagnosed with PTSD
A woman from Irvine says her dog ‘saved her life’ after battling post-traumatic stress disorder following cancer treatment.
Erin Phairs, 25, from Irvine was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a type of bone cancer, when she was just nine years old.
When she was around 13 years-old she was then diagnosed with PTSD. Erin says, “It was almost like reliving some moments of the treatment, like flashbacks. I just had a really low mood and was getting anxious and upset about things. I didn’t know what it was.
“It was quite scary. You feel all the same feelings and emotions. I had a fear of the cancer reoccurring just because I was living back in that moment.”
'He got me through.'
To help her deal with the condition, her parents bought a Bichon Frise dog named Milo.
Erin says, “He picked up on how I felt. He just knew the times I was upset. He could be downstairs and I’m upstairs, he just knows and will come running up and lick my tears away.
“In times when I have been extremely low with thoughts I didn’t want to be here, he sensed that. He wouldn’t leave me alone.
“I would be here if it wasn’t for him. He got me through everything.”
Milo is now a therapy pet to help others going through treatment for cancer or in recovery.
He has also been selected as an ambassador for the Beatson Cancer Charity after being nominated and voted for on social media.