Support patients' wellbeing with our therapy dog service

Being diagnosed with cancer can be just as tough mentally as it is physically. At The Christie, our clinical teams recognise the importance of looking after patients’ emotional and mental wellbeing alongside their clinical care.

With this in mind, The Christie Charity has recently started funding fortnightly visits from a therapy dog ‘Lilo’ who has been a big hit with both young patients and staff.

Lilo, a black cocker spaniel, spends time with the children and their families at the proton beam therapy centre at The Christie. Therapy dogs can help cancer patients by lowering stress, reducing feelings of pain, alleviating anxiety and providing comfort and support.

The feedback from Lilo’s visits has been so positive we are hoping to expand the service and arrange more regular sessions moving forward.

Donate to The Christie Charity today to support more enhanced services like this for patients and their loved ones.

Ellie-Mae Shirley had 33 sessions of proton beam therapy when she was 20 months old. Her dad Adam says: “She was so excited when she saw Lilo. She absolutely loves animals and spent a lot of time just petting her and playing with her. It gave her something to look forward to after treatment. My parents have a dog, so I think it’s helped her feel more comfortable coming in for treatment.”