This month, in the midst of the holidays, I would like to devote this column to the human-animal bond. Of course, as a practicing veterinarian (and sharing my life with three unique pets!), I am privileged to experience this every day. And I could tell countless stories about my special patients/clients and the love and joy I see given and received between them. But instead, I would like to share with you a different human-animal bond, one with which most of you have had less personal experience.

I am a board member for Eyes Ears Nose and Paws (http://www.eenp.org), a local assistance dog organization. Through this work, I have learned so much about what animals can do for us and how rewarding this "service" is to both sides. Did you know, for instance, that dogs can not only smell out things like drugs and bombs, but also diabetic blood sugar changes and cancer cells? Today, I have asked a friend of EENP to share the story of her partnership with her assistance dog, Nixa. I hope their story touches you as it does me.

-- Maia

In 2002 I went for surgical removal of abdominal adhesions and overnight hospitalization. I woke three months later in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit on a ventilator. Imagine my surprise! My surgery had gone horribly wrong. A loop of perforated bowel went unnoticed at closing, and infection was soon followed by total body sepsis.

According to my spouse, I was a cornucopia of medical problems: fluid in my lungs, uncontrollable high blood pressure, kidney failure and massive brain swelling. The last proved hardest to overcome. The areas of my brain that control balance, coordination, speech and cognition were compromised.

After the three months in a coma, I spent another three months in hospital recovering and learning how to be a person again. There I received speech, cognitive, physical and occupational therapies. After release from the hospital, I lived in a hospital bed in my living room for weeks, continuing with all of the above therapies.

I spent the better part of a year working on regaining the functions I had lost. I relearned how to speak, read, write, walk, feed, dress and all the other activities that make one human. However, no matter how hard I worked, I could not stop falling. One moment I'd be standing up and the next thing I knew I would be on the floor. I was also dropping things all the time.

In July 2004, Nixa came into my life. Nixa, a beautiful black lab, is my service dog and my constant companion. You see me, and you see Nixa. She keeps me safe and keeps me from falling. When I start to lose my balance, Nixa stands totally still so I can lean on her shoulders to steady myself. Nixa picks up the hundreds of things that fall out of my hands. I had no idea how many things I was dropping until Nixa starting giving them to me! Nixa found all my lost pens.

Words cannot express how Nixa has changed my life. Sometimes I am so thankful to have her that I well up with tears. Then Nixa licks my cheeks as if to say "Mom, it's my job." She gives me confidence and comfort. I knew that Nixa would be a big help to me. I had no idea that Nixa would give me back my life.

Maia Tcheng Broussard has worked in the veterinary field in Durham since 1994. Dr. Broussard is a general practitioner at Westside Animal Hospital, a certified canine rehabilitation practitioner, and has a special interest in behavior medicine. Contact her at MaiaBroussardDVM@gmail.com.