I’m Eilish Wilkes I’m 21 years old.
(speaks to dog: sit down) And I’m a very generous giving person who
devotes her life to helping other people.
(laughter)
So the dog sitting at my feet here is my Loie, my guide dog.
I’ve had her for about two years now
and in that time she’s completely changed my life
and given me more independence and freedom then I ever dreamed would be possible.
I’ve been severely visionally impaired since I was two years old
when I was diagnosed with an irremovable, cancerous brain tumour.
I basically needed her for
my mobility and to actually have a kind of independence when I was away from my parents.
(laughter)
Oh that’s a funny one
and I certainly get that a lot
in fact, more often than not people think I’m training Loie.
When I was little my specialists always said that I was one of the
highest functioning young children with visual impairment that they’ve ever come across.
There’s a common misconception of what a blind person or a visually impaired person looks like
I think a lot of people will think your eyes will look funny
and yeah maybe you may wear dark glasses all the time
or there should be some visual sign of
well you being visually impaired.
I get mixed reactions of how people react to her,
kids usually absolutely adore her and want to pat her and cuddle her.
There’s people from different parts of the world where they don’t necessarily have working dogs
and so some adults are quite afraid of her
or think, what is this dog for?
It affects my daily life on a number of levels
because the tumour is actually still there
all of the issues that sort of go with it and coincide with it
are still very much a part of my life so far as well,
like my visual impairment.
The radiation I had when I was five and a half
which is what actually stopped the tumour from progressing any further
is causing a lot of issues now later down the line
which they didn’t know about at the time.
About two years ago now I was diagnosed with SMART Syndrome
which stands for Stroke like Migrains After Radio Therapy,
and they’re the most severe type of pain I think I’ve ever experienced.
I think it’s hugely important having someone to advocate for you
if you are ever unable to.
Just knowing that the person will always go into battle for you no matter how difficult the situation can get and
whether that’s your mum or your dad or
your partner or a friend.
I think it’s just really important to know that someone is in your corner
and you can go to that person and say I need help.
(laughter)
Um...
I’m good at helping people.
I think it’s something I’ve had so much experience doing
throughout my entire life really.
My parents have always done a lot for other people and
that inspired me to do the same,
and from a young age I started volunteering for the Child Cancer foundation
and it basically just stemmed from there.
And I absolutely love it it just gives me such a thrill
and it makes me so happy.
Loie! Stop snoring.
Am I going to get cancer again?
Is it going to flare up again?
Is my sight going to deteriorate?
When I was really little and I was put under the palliative care team,
the point of no return, your not going to back from this
you are going to die
we were planning my funeral,
I was picking out my coffin and all that kind of stuff and I wasn’t worried about it.
You know, I wasn’t worried about it at all
and I survived, and I came out of the palliative team
absolutely unheard of,
and then when I was nine I went back into the palliative team
and it’s just, I have survived all expectations
beyond all expectations,
so they basically look at me now and they say
“we don’t know what’s going to happen.”
I want to live my life!
Not sit in a shoe box and wait to die.
If I want to go sky-diving, I’m going to go sky-diving!
I am going to live my life to it’s fullest potential
and get every bit of happiness and joy out of it that I can.
(Loie up)
(good girl)
(Walk on)
(This way, good girl, walk on)