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Because of her extremely rare health, this teenager is constantly threatened with exposure to a strong odor, but now a canine companion has given her a whole new life.
Martina Baker, aged 15, has a syndrome called mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). This makes her allergic to "almost anything," including heat, water, cleaning products, perfumes, and cologne. Even a hint of cooking oil or bleach could send Martina into anaphylactic shock, and if she did not receive treatment quickly, she could die.
Now, after collecting $ 10,000, Martina has been badociated with a highly trained puppy, Caiomhe (pronounced Queeva), who warns her of possible dangers before they occur.
Thanks to Caiomhe, Martina was able to revisit dozens of normal life activities, like watching a movie at the cinema for the first time in years.
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"Caiomhe has changed my life," said Martina. "I feel so much safer with her that I can have a social life again.
"I lost a lot of friends after developing MCAS. It's hard for people to see me collapse, take my EpiPen and be taken to the hospital all the time, "said the Wiscbadet teenager.
Until two and a half years ago, Martina was a healthy teenager, but she suddenly suffered terrifying symptoms.
"I was allergic to nothing before, then one day I woke up with hives all over my body," says the teenager. "I had to go to the hospital because of an anaphylactic reaction. My throat started to swell with hives. They even treated me with an EpiPen.
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Martina's mother, Loretta Morse Leighton, 48, said, "The hives were on all the time, she was going to have anaphylactic shock and we had to rush her to the emergency room about three times a week. We never knew what really caused it. "
For months, doctors were confused by Martina's condition. Because of these reactions, Martina was forced to miss school and stay at home in a closed room to avoid anaphylactic shock.
"We took her to see a specialist in every major discipline, from cardiologists to psychologists," said Loretta, who eventually took Martina to a Mbadachusetts immunologist who correctly diagnosed her with MCAS.
After Martina finally had a diagnosis, Leighton realized that a help dog could help her daughter.
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Caiomhe was formed by Jamie Robinson, a specialist in Tucson, Arizona – one of the only ones in the world to train dogs to badist MCAS patients.
"A dog's nose is about 100,000 times better than a human nose and almost every biochemical process in our body is marked by a change of fragrance," said Robinson, who runs his own service dog business called Access to Service Corp.
Robinson asked Martina to send her the clothes she had worn so that Caiomhe could get used to her scent and the specific smell of the teen's anaphylaxis. The puppy was then trained to identify a long list of odors that trigger Martina's life prognosis.
Caiomhe, 3 years old, can feel the release of histamine by Martina's body. Thus, the puppy can now detect the moment when his owner reacts even before anyone realizes it. Thanks to Caiomhe and the usual mast cell stabilizers, the number of anaphylactic episodes of Martina has been reduced from three times a week to once every four to six weeks.
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Martina often wears a mask when she goes out and the family must stay very careful at home. Loretta cleans with vinegar instead of cleaning products and has stopped using all the detergents on the sheets and clothes. They must practice "odorless cooking" and spend a lot of time grilling outside, even in winter.
Martina is also extremely sensitive to heat, so her room is not heated, even during the freezing winters of Maine.
"I do not know how she tolerates the cold, she lives like a penguin in there," laughed Loretta.
Despite these difficulties, Martina's livelihoods have been totally transformed.
"I have the feeling that Caiomhe was destined to be the guardian angel of my daughter," says Leighton. "In Martina's pictures now with Caiomhe, I see joy, light and life. A spark that has been stolen and disappeared since this terrible disease has prevailed. Caiomhe told him this in a new, wonderful and amazing way. "
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