Summer True North

Summer!

'What is normal?

'Not necessarily normal...' Come on!

..but we're all a bit special.

We're normal from the outside.

Come into the house and there's a horse on the sofa,

it's a bit different.

# I know I'd go from rags to riches

# If you would only say you care... #

The bet was I couldn't find a horse that was small enough

that I could keep, because we'd no stable.

We only have a small back garden -

horses are renowned for needing space.

So I went onto Google and Gumtree, and within two days I found Summer.

Little Falabella for sale.

I had this built as a shed.

It's like a wee workshop for me,

TV and radio and all that.

He clearly has given up his space which was the man cave.

It's now Summer's stable.

# Your love is all that ever mattered... #

It has to be the best sort of quality of care

you can give any animal.

This is the wee camera there.

This can be taken anywhere around the house.

She needs heat lamps in here when we're getting her ready,

so when you're taking her and grooming her, cleaning her,

she doesn't get too cold.

She's spoilt stupid.

She's a wee pet.

The first day home, she actually went into her new stable

and she put her head over the door

and Brad just dropped to his knees in front of her.

When I came home, she was, like, at the garden

and I was stroking her and all for a while.

It was really good.

Bradley has Asperger's syndrome and ADHD

and a thing called CIPD.

She'll lick him, she'll nuzzle him, she'll kiss him.

That is therapy for Brad. I think from then on in,

I knew there was something very, very special.

When I'm feeling, like, all bored, she just, like, calms you down.

I loved it.

We decided to branch out with Summer when we realised this was special.

She had something to give.

When I first saw Summer in the school, I was sitting in this chair,

my door was open and I remember glancing up

because I heard a bit of noise

and I happened to see a little horse coming in,

bright-pink coat on, fancy shoes, walking past my office

and I thought, "Why is there a horse in my school?"

Hello!

It's worth doing it for the smiles.

They squeal, they shout, they stamp their feet, they clap their hands.

Hi, guys!

CHILDREN SHOUT

Hi, everyone!

The difference in our children

because of Summer's visits is massive.

She's very much a part of the Killard House family

and a part of the education team.

Multisensory approaches work for our children

and she's part of that provision.

LAUGHTER

For some of the children who are maybe more non-verbal,

they don't have to talk. They don't have to try and communicate.

They can just be at one with her and zone everybody else out.

So we would then suggest that parents contact us.

We would either go to their house or they can come to us.

# If I were a carpenter

# And you were a lady

# Would you marry me anyway? #

Hello, Jamie!

Jamie has Bohring-Opitz syndrome.

It's a rare genetic disorder and, to date,

there are about 90-odd in the world.

He has epilepsy, scoliosis, he doesn't walk or talk,

he's tube-fed - a little bit of everything as we say.

But any encounters with Summer have always been amazing.

You know, he's content.

Others may not be able to tell, but we can tell and it's cool.

It's good. It's great.

Lying on Summer's back is so comfortable for Jamie

because he just moulds into the contours of her back

and the heat that generates from her body is so therapeutic for him

and so relieving of the pain that he must be in.

It's just something that I suppose we'll never understand,

but Jamie does.

'For us, it's the smiles. It's definitely the smiles.

'When we meet parents,'

it's really nice to know that she has made a difference

to their lives in that way that we can be classed as friends to them.

It is harder. You never get immune to meeting parents

of such children that are so special.

I've broken once.

(Sorry.)

'This is Jack's room.'

We've left it pretty much as it was,

only all the medical equipment's out.

We hadn't a clue there was anything wrong with him

when he was born. It wasn't until he was three months

and he started vomiting and he wouldn't stop.

So the neurologist came down, he said, "This isn't normal,"

had a look at him and they found out he had epilepsy.

This is it here.

Jack had just come into the hospice for end of life care.

Summer came in about one or two days after that.

Jack was so brain-damaged

and...really...at the point

where he was almost comatose.

In this picture you can see his eyes

are wide open, he's very alert.

He's holding Sam's hand and also his hand's on Summer.

Summer just kept her head very still and it's almost as if

she knew she had to be gentle

and just sit there and have that moment.

And that...

It's a strange moment to explain but one that means so much to us.

To say goodbye to him was the hardest thing I've ever done.

It really was the hardest.

Because you think, you're not going to see him again,

you're not going to hold his hand.

Sam is part of the horse, almost, you know.

We talk about Summer, but Samantha trained Summer

and made Summer what she is today

and you can see that Jack's just really relaxed there and happy.

That's the way we remember him, he's a happy baby. Yeah.

So it's a great memory to have.

Newcastle is, it's heaven on earth.

When we go up to the caravan, Summer has her own stable.

It's bliss.

I don't think I can put into words what she's done for us.

She's given us so much in such a short period of time.

She's worth a million of anything. Absolutely love her to bits.

Because I don't think you can get a horse as friendly

or has as much character as Summer.

And you meet so many people from it, you know,

from friends to children that you've maybe had to say goodbye to.

You still stay friends with their parents

which is something you don't...

you don't ever expect in that circumstance to have happen.

The future's cheeky and bright.

SHE LAUGHS

# Can't you see?

# Whoa, can't you see

# What that woman, Lord she been doin' to me?

# Can't you see?

# Can't you see

# What that woman, she been doin' to me?

# I'm gonna buy a ticket now... #