When I was in hospital, getting home to Allen and my beloved Olive gave me something to focus on<\/p>\n
\u2014 \u00a0Linda Crooks <\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cAfter my stroke, I felt like my whole world had come to an end,\u201d Linda said. \u201cI had to re-learn how to walk. I couldn\u2019t use my left hand properly. Even washing and dressing were a struggle. Emotionally, I was all over the place \u2014 crying one minute, snappy the next. It was a very tough time for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now 62, the Belfast woman credits her dog with giving her motivation during the darkest days of recovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was in hospital, getting home to Allen and my beloved Olive gave me something to focus on,\u201d she explained. \u201cMy goal was simple \u2014 I wanted to walk Olive again.\u201d<\/p>\n
That powerful bond between people and their pets is at the heart of a new collaboration between Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS) and Rosie\u2019s Trust, which aims to ensure no one has to face recovery alone, or worry about being separated from their animal companion.<\/p>\n Linda was referred to NICHS\u2019s Family Support Service after her stroke, a moment she still remembers clearly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe day Tracy from NICHS phoned me, I could barely speak \u2014 I was in floods of tears,\u201d she recalls. \u201cShe listened. She supported both me and my husband. It made such a difference knowing someone understood.\u201d<\/p>\n Through NICHS, Linda joined the PREP (Post Stroke Rehabilitation Exercise Programme), working weekly with a physiotherapist to rebuild strength and confidence.<\/p>\n \u201cEach week I could do a little bit more,\u201d she said. \u201cGetting in and out of a chair, stepping up and down, moving my arm \u2014 it all added up. It helped me physically, but mentally too.\u201d<\/p>\n At home, Olive became part of Linda\u2019s rehabilitation.<\/p>\n \u201cWith my crutch, I\u2019d go out every morning with Allen and Olive,\u201d she says. \u201cEven joining them for a short walk helped my mobility and my confidence. Olive kept me going.\u201d<\/p>\n NICHS sees first-hand how chest, heart and stroke conditions affect entire families, not just individuals. And for many people, pets are family.<\/p>\n That understanding has led to a new six-month pilot programme with Rosie\u2019s Trust in the South Eastern Trust area. The partnership expands Rosie\u2019s Trust\u2019s eligibility to include anyone aged 18 or over living with mobility issues caused by a chest, heart or stroke condition.<\/p>\n Read more: Palliative care: Clearing up the myths and understanding the support available \u2013 The Irish News<\/a><\/p>\n Founded in 2015, Rosie\u2019s Trust is the only charity in Northern Ireland dedicated to helping people keep their pets during serious illness, end-of-life care or mobility challenges. With more than 200 volunteers, the charity provides practical help such as dog walking, feeding, grooming and vet visits, and, if requested, fostering or rehoming support.<\/p>\n Amy Coey, service improvement Lead at NICHS, said the collaboration fills a vital gap.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see every day how a chest, heart or stroke diagnosis impacts the whole family \u2014 and pets are absolutely part of that family,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cThis partnership means fewer people will have to face the added stress of worrying about their pets during hospital stays or rehabilitation.\u201d<\/p>\n NICHS staff can now refer people affected by chest, heart and stroke conditions to Rosie\u2019s Trust under the expanded criteria in the South Eastern Trust, while continuing referrals under existing criteria in other trust areas.<\/p>\n \u201cIt allows our Family Support Service to truly wrap around every aspect of someone\u2019s life,\u201d Amy added, \u201cso they can focus on recovery with peace of mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Linda believes the new partnership will make a real difference for others like her.<\/p>\n \u201cI was lucky \u2014 Allen could look after Olive while I was in hospital,\u201d she said. \u201cBut not everyone has family or friends to help. The stress of worrying about your pet, or the fear of having to give them up, would make recovery so much harder.\u201d<\/p>\n She added: \u201cPets give you comfort, routine, love \u2014 all the things you need when life has been turned upside down. I\u2019m so glad other people will be able to recover with their pets by their side.\u201d<\/p>\n Jayne McStay, operations manager at Rosie\u2019s Trust, said the pilot reflects growing need.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we mark 10 years of caring for people by caring for their pets, we\u2019re delighted to work with NICHS on this important scheme,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cWith our volunteers and this new partnership, we\u2019re continuing to reach some of the most vulnerable and isolated people in our community \u2014 through the pets they love.\u201d<\/p>\n For Linda, the message is simple.<\/p>\n \u201cOlive helped me believe things could get better,\u201d she said. \u201cNo one should have to face illness without that kind of love.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information about Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke, or to make a referral or donation, visit nichs.org.uk<\/a>. For more about Rosie\u2019s Trust, visit rosiestrust.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Linda Crooks came home from hospital after a life-changing stroke, it wasn\u2019t just her husband Allen who…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":261513,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[18,135,19,17],"class_list":{"0":"post-261512","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115819524126927590","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261512\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/261513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"6](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CK7GKFCPB5LF5KGNAFTLTB3GAE.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/G42GF64OSFF2XGCQCMZFQKDJ6Y.JPEG\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Rosie's](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6YKBSDB6LZBIZMXEGNAA6A7LG4.jpg\")
Una McHugh, communications officer at NICHS, Olive and Jayne McStay, operations manager at Rosie\u2019s Trust <\/p>\n![\"Rosie's](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/QP3UJNG6JRATZDCZK24TMYCWZE.jpg\")
Jayne McStay, operations manager at Rosie\u2019s Trust, Linda Crooks with her beloved dog Olive, Amy Coey, service improvement lead at NICHS, and Una McHugh, communications officer at NICHS<\/p>\n