Liversedge woman’s life transformed by assistance dog Udo

Toni-Jane Bromley, 35, has the Hypermobile type of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which only affects about one in 5,000 to 20,000 people worldwide.

She showed signs of the rare genetic condition when she was two years old but she wasn’t diagnosed until she was 32 when a physiotherapist recognised the symptoms.

Toni-Jane had severe fatigue before she got Udo because each task around the house took huge amounts of her energy.

Now he helps to pick things up when she drops them, brings her the post and small parcels, empties the washing machine and opens doors.

She said: “My ankles and occasionally my shoulders kept dislocating when I was a child and they didn’t know why.”

Toni-Jane’s had ten surgeries to fix dislocations in her ankle, hand and jaw, she has problems with her digestion and heart and takes painkillers every day.

Toni-Jane said: “The first time I met Udo I fell in love with him straightaway. He’s a really sweet natured dog and I thought he’d be a good help for me because he was very attentive, has lots of energy and is very enthusiastic about his task work!

“He’s totally transformed my life, I have so much more energy now and he’s great company. He lifts my spirits every day which has been particularly important through lockdown.”

“Now I can’t imagine going anywhere without him.”

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