Katie’s dogged determination to help others after overcoming epilepsy

Katie Stevens, of Slaley, near Hexham, has been newly-appointed as a trustee of Support Dogs, a charity which trains and provides assistance dogs to help autistic children, as well as adults with epilepsy or a physical disability to live safer, more independent lives.

As a member of Support Dogs’ board, she has a say on the charity’s governance and will help to oversee its strategic future.

The 51-year-old took early retirement from a career of over 30 years in chartered accountancy to pursue her dream of helping society’s most vulnerable, following her own health ordeal.

Birmingham-born Katie was just 23 when she collapsed on the concrete at Birmingham New Street Station, severely injuring her head.

It later emerged she’d had her first seizure and was diagnosed with epilepsy.

Her life changed completely - medication meant she couldn’t have children and could no longer drive, which led her to move to London, where public transport links were better.

Unpredictable seizures even led her to being sacked by one employer.

Katie could sometimes go a week without a seizure and then suddenly have back-to-back attacks, before she underwent life-changing brain surgery six years ago – and hasn’t had a seizure since.

She said: “I used to get up every morning pleased that I was still here.

“It makes you reassess – that’s why I give my time back, because people who suffer from disabilities and illness shouldn’t have to suffer, and should be able to access the support they need.”

As part of its seizure alert programme, Support Dogs trains assistance dogs to give a 100 percent reliable warning of a seizure up to an hour before it happens, enabling the owner to get to a place of safety and privacy.

Katie, who is also Chair of Northumbria Primary Care and Associate Non-Executive Director for Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said she sees regularly through her charity work the impact assistance dogs have on their owners and she had been keeping an eye out for a trustee role coming up with Support Dogs.

Her Support Dogs role takes the number of UK charities and trusts she is a trustee of to 11, with the common focus being mainly on supporting and improving the lives of young people and adults with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

Katie, who lives with husband Ian, who was awarded an MBE for his work on suicide prevention with Network Rail, and their black Labrador Kerwin, added: “Support Dogs is a fantastic charity and the difference it makes to so many people and its ambition to support even more people is brilliant.”

She hopes to bring her personal experience of disability, her finance background, her love of dogs, her charity board knowledge and connections and her “desire to make a change” to the role.

To find out more about the work of Support Dogs, please visit www.supportdogs.org.uk or call 0114 2617800.