Health Care heroes
Eyes Ears Nose and Paws By Leah Ber r y
rom dawn till dusk, Margarita Escaler’s world is centered on serving as her daughter’s main communicator and caregiver. Her daughter, 16-year-old Madeleine “Maddie” Harrison, lives with cerebral palsy. She’s nonverbal and is unable to sit, stand or walk on her own. Maddie has a complex medical history with recurrent pneumonia, including a history of need for ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation). But Maddie has another important companion – one who also cannot speak but expresses affection through physical touch, a radiant smile and a wagging tail. Thanks to Eyes Ears Nose and Paws, a Hillsborough-based nonprofit agency founded in 2008 with the mission to partner people with dogs to improve lives, 6-year-old red golden retriever Lilly has changed the lives of Maddie and her whole family. The family has lived in Chapel Hill for 10 years, relocating from Singapore – although 58
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“It’s been challenging because the relationship for now has been one-way, since Maddie is not able to use her arms to pet Lilly, cuddle her or give her treats [on her own]. But it’s also wonderful to see the unconditional love that Lilly shows Maddie and all of us, even if Maddie doesn’t give it back.”
November/December 2024
– Margarita Escaler
Margarita is originally from the Philippines, and her husband, Stuart Harrison, was raised in Australia. “We chose to move to North Carolina because my husband’s headquarters are in [Research Triangle Park] and because of Maddie’s needs,” Margarita says. “We just thought education would be better here in the U.S. … We felt like it was time to try other locations where she could thrive.” It wasn’t until Maddie was at home nearly full time doing virtual school during COVID-19 that the family seriously considered the benefits of having a dog. “Maddie’s only experience with a dog was in elementary school where a therapy dog would come once a week to visit her class,” Margarita says. “Based on the feedback from Maddie’s teacher and social worker, she responded very positively each time the therapy dog would come.” It was purely by chance that Margarita came across EENP – she was volunteering with her church to clean up the organization’s recently acquired Hillsborough office in late 2019. A staff member was there with a “gorgeous red golden retriever that was training to be a service dog,” Margarita says. “And [the pup] just so happened to be the sister of Lilly. … [Emma Harrison, my 11-year-old daughter,] and I fell in love with her immediately. “I told the staff member all about Maddie and asked her whether she would benefit from a service dog … and then I attended an open house with Maddie in February 2020. And [they said] an assistance dog would absolutely enrich the life of Maddie and all those around her.” Maddie was matched with Lilly in September 2020. Officially, Lilly is Maddie’s “home helpmate,” rather than a full-fledged public access service dog, since Maddie will never be able to go out in public on her own and wouldn’t need a service dog to function independently. “We believe that since having Lilly, Maddie is seen more,” Margarita says. “Having a dog alongside her when we are out and about makes Maddie more approachable and draws more people – specifically children – to talk to her, ask questions and engage with her instead of simply staring at her or avoiding her completely. “Lilly also provides companionship and comfort when Maddie feels anxious or gets overly excited,” Margarita says. “Every night, as Maddie is about to sleep, [Lilly] lays across her body, applying deep pressure therapy [or gentle, firm pressure through physical contact, thus providing a calming effect on the nervous system, promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety].” Plus, Lilly can alert the family when Maddie is about to have a dysautonomia episode (a sudden increase in heart rate and/or decrease in oxygen levels).