BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — A Pasco-Hernando State College student with a unique health condition and her service dog are both approaching milestones in their educations, and they've been educating others along the way.

• Ashley Hibbard, 18, diagnosed with blood circulation disorder
• Hibbard began training Trevor, her service dog, earlier this year
• Hibbard and Trevor will walk together during her graduation in the fall
• More Good News stories

When Ashley Hibbard, 18, was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome – or POTS – along with small fiber neuropathy two years ago, she knew her life was going to change.

“Your quality of life goes down quite a bit when you have POTS and small fiber neuropathy," Hibbard said. "So, it was something hard to cope with, but I decided a long time ago that I may have an illness, but the illness doesn’t have me."

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, POTS is a blood circulation disorder that affects anywhere from one to three million Americans.

Hibbard said for her, POTS means that her heart rate can jump to 40 beats above average and stay there when she goes from laying to sitting or from sitting to standing.

“I began to get dizzy, wouldn’t know where I was sometimes. I would shake a lot, and we couldn’t figure out why,” she said.

Training Trevor

Earlier this year, Hibbard began training a service dog, Trevor, to help her during episodes.

The one-and-a-half-year-old dog has been with Hibbard for eight months. Before that, he did basic training with a local trainer. 

“Now, it’s kind of on me to teach him how to close the doors and then work on that. So, it’s different learning how to do it and doing it with him,” Hibbard said.

Trevor can close doors and is also learning how to tackle other tasks that could aggravate Hibbard’s symptoms, like picking up objects so she doesn’t have to bend down. His most important task will be performing deep pressure therapy when she experiences a POTS episode by laying on her legs’ pressure points.

“It’s kind of like a weighted blanket, but with a tongue and kind of cute,” Hibbard said. “He will help reduce my episodes. They could last ten minutes to five with him.”

Training Trevor has made for a unique college experience while attending Pasco-Hernando State College’s north campus in Brooksville.

“I’ve never had four paws following me everywhere, so it’s different,” Hibbard said. “Everyone’s been great. They love Trevor. One of my favorite places to bring him is actually the library because they spoil him. They’ll give him water.”

Spreading awareness

Hibbard said Trevor has also sparked conversations that have led to more awareness about POTS and about service dogs.

“I have to slowly teach them what it is to be a service dog and the different criteria between the emotional support and a service dog," she explained. "So, I’ve been able to help teach people new things about it, and it’s pretty cool."

“It is a job that they do. It isn’t just they come along with them to come along with them," said Darcy McDowell, director of PHSC Student Accessibility Services. "But I think it’s been very eye-opening for a lot of our students and faculty and staff.”

Hibbard is expected to walk in this fall’s graduation ceremony at PHSC with Trevor by her side. It looks like it’s going to happen around the same time as a milestone for Trevor, as well – the completion of his training.

“I still never imagined my college life to be with a service dog or have to walk with one, but I’m so excited to use what I have and be able to be normal and go up on that stage – something I probably couldn’t have done without him,” Hibbard said.

McDowell said five service dogs work with students across PHSC’s campuses. She said the school has also started to bring service dogs in to help de-stress students during finals.