'I live an ordinary life thanks to one extraordinary dog. Kika opened up the world to me again. She's made what once seemed impossible possible.'
In 2013 Amit Patel is working as a trauma doctor when a rare condition causes him to lose his sight within thirty-six hours. Totally dependent on others and terrified of stepping outside with a white cane after a horrifying assault, he hits rock bottom. He refuses to leave home on his own for three months. With the support of his wife Seema he slowly begins to adapt to his new situation, but how could life ever be the way it was? Then his guide dog Kika comes into their lives . . .
But Kika's stubbornness almost puts her guide dog training in jeopardy – could her larger-than-life personality be a perfect match for someone? Meanwhile Amit has reservations – could he trust a dog with his life? Paired together in 2015, they start on a journey, learning to trust each other before taking to the streets of London and beyond. The partnership not only gives Amit a renewed lease of life but a new best friend. Then, after a video of an irate commuter rudely asking Amit to step aside on an escalator goes viral, he sets out with Kika by his side to spread a message of positivity and inclusivity, showing that nothing will hold them back.
From the challenges of travelling when blind to becoming a parent for the first time, Kika & Me is the moving, heart-warming and inspirational story of Amit's sight-loss journey and how one guide dog changed his world. Dr Amit Patel is a disability rights campaigner, fundraiser, motivational speaker and independent diversity and accessibility consultant. Amit studied medicine at Cambridge University and qualified as a trauma doctor, specializing in emergency medicine and major incidents. During med school Amit was diagnosed with keratoconus, which is usually easily treated with a corneal transplant. However, Amit was one of the rare individuals for whom the transplants rejected and he was registered severely sight impaired (blind) just one year after getting married in 2013. After coming to terms with his own sight loss, Amit set out to help others who were new to sight loss, through volunteering with the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) and Guide Dogs for the Blind. Amit is married to Seema and together they have a two children. Kika & Me is his first book.
Kika is a white Labrador who has been matched to Amit since September 2015. The moving true story of Dr Amit Patel, who lost his sight in just thirty-six hours, and Kika, the guide dog who changed his world.
