‘He is the reason I’m here’ - woman with PTSD after two life-changing incidents fundraises to save her beloved dog

Kelly Whitmore was only 14 and living in Sawtry when her sister Leanne Scott was murdered on her 17th birthday.

After spending the next 25 years “hating everybody” and with a ”chip on my shoulder”, she turned things around before meeting husband Chris.

However, disaster struck in July 2014 when her home in St Ives went up in flames. In a panic she jumped out of her bedroom window and landed on concrete, leaving her disabled. She was then diagnosed with PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder).

Now living in Farcet, Kelly said: “It was a horrendous time. I struggled to come to terms with not being able to walk again. I would not speak to anyone and would not leave the house.”

It was only when Kelly began spending time with affectionate Thumper, her mum’s dog, who she soon adopted, that she began to find hope again.

“He’s brought me back in the real world. He is the reason I’m still here,” she said.

Sadly, the five-year-old collie/labrador cross needed two new hips, with surgery costing more than £12,000.

Kelly has so far raised enough money for the first operation, which has taken place, and has more fundraisers lined up, but she needs another £6,000 for the second op, otherwise Thumper will have to be put down. To donate, visit: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/thumper.