A unique bond: By my side

My name is Caroline Gainer. I am originally from Glenville, West Virginia. Before, I was an extremely active person. I had slowed down a little bit before the illness. Right after I got sick...

Screen Text: Caroline, USA. Living with COPD.

...I was afraid of what the day would hold for me. I have a condition called COPD. And so I have to be on oxygen 24 hours a day. I didn't really know why I was alive. I would wake up and I’d think, “there’s no reason for you to get up, go back to sleep.” In the beginning I was very, very weak. I didn’t really want to get out of bed. I slept most of the time. I was just afraid. That was a point in time when I think I became depressed. Once I started getting my strength back, you get used to the hose in the nose and you go on with life. When my husband died, she didn’t leave me.

Visual Description: Pictures of a younger Caroline, one of which includes her husband, begin to show on screen.

She stayed right with me. She helped me a lot. She was with me all the time.

Visual Description: Caroline, walking with a long oxygen tube in her hands.

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be on the earth if it weren't for her. She's very shy. Snow B? Where are you, baby girl? I would look under the bed, I would look under all the couches,

Visual Description: Caroline’s cat, Snowball, runs from behind a couch.

I would look under all the chairs.

Visual Description: Snowball, hiding in a cabinet beside books.

There's one cabinet downstairs she can get into.

Visual Description: Snowball, jumping onto the kitchen counter.

She has always been very close with me, Visual Description: Snowball, running away after entering a cabinet. but she's afraid of everyone else. My friend and her brother came with this box... and it had a little white kitten in it. Visual Description: Old pictures of Snowball begin to show on screen. And they decided this would be a good place for it to hang out for about a week. And that was 12 years ago. She follows me around and if I’m on the computer, she’s up in my face to see what I’m doing. She’s very much a companion for me. I think probably Snowball helped me survive. She senses whenever something goes wrong. She has saved me from not having oxygen on more than one occasion. Visual Description: Caroline outside with her dog. That's when I think having the two animals really, really saved me. To be able to take care of her and to take care of Albert, that helped me have the desire to survive. I can’t imagine life without an animal because they don’t care what’s happened to you, they just love you. Emotionally, I guess, I have gained just sheer joy. Pets love you no matter what. Their love is unconditional. They don’t care if you’re sick or they don’t care if you’re rich or poor, or happy or sad, they’re just, they’re just with you all the time. Screen text: For human and animal health. No matter what you're going through, your pet will be there for you. Screen text: Boehringer Ingelheim. Value through Innovation.