Hannah's story

When Hannah started her first job, she realised she needed to be more independent and rely less on the support of others. She hasn’t looked back since. Wendy, her first guide dog, has helped Hannah to embrace the world of work and give back to the community by becoming a local councillor. She’s enjoying a lively social life too. 

Hannah was born with bilateral retinoblastoma (Rb), a rare type of childhood eye cancer that meant she had to have her left eye removed at a young age and undergo significant treatment to save very limited vision in her right eye. Luckily, she had the support of family and friends to help her through school and then university, where she achieved a First Class Honours in Politics. But when she started working things were different. 

“My first job was in Parliament, which was amazing, but the buildings are very difficult to navigate. I had a symbol cane, but getting around was hard and stressful – especially on the Tube five days a week where people don’t necessarily realise what you’re doing or why you are moving so slowly.”

“I realised there wasn’t much more I could do to help myself, and you can’t always rely on others. I’d always known about Guide Dogs and I decided to get in touch.”

When Hannah met guide dog Wendy there was instant chemistry. 

“Wendy helps me in so many other ways. I have an annual checkup and many other medical appointments following my childhood cancer that are stressful and daunting. Wendy is there with me during the appointments, helping to keep me distracted and keeping a watchful eye on the doctors to make sure I’m okay. Nothing gets past Wendy!”

“I recently heard this amazing statistic that two out of three guide dogs wouldn’t exist without the gifts that people leave in their Wills. I can’t thank those people enough for the opportunity that they’ve given me. People often use the term life-changing without giving it too much thought, but having a guide dog like Wendy really is just that.” 

Hannah and Wendy feature in the Guide Dogs legacy TV advert, ‘Where Will Your Gift Lead’, where you can see them both confidently striding through an office.