Kika and Me

"I live an ordinary life thanks to one extraordinary dog. Kika opened up the world to me again. She's made what once seemed impossible possible."

In 2013 Amit Patel is working as a trauma doctor when a rare condition causes him to lose his sight within 36 hours. Totally dependent on others and terrified of stepping outside with a white cane after a horrifying assault, he hits rock bottom. He refuses to leave home on his own for three months. Then his guide dog Kika comes along …

But Amit has reservations – could he trust a dog with his safety? Paired together in 2015, they start on a journey, learning to trust each other before taking to the streets of London and beyond. Then, after a video of an irate commuter rudely asking Amit to step aside on an escalator goes viral, he sets out with Kika by his side to spread a message of positivity and inclusivity.

From the challenges of travelling when blind to becoming a parent for the first time, Kika and Me is the moving, heart-warming and inspirational story of Amit’s sight-loss journey and how one guide dog changed his world.

About the Author

Dr Amit Patel is a disability rights campaigner, fundraiser, motivational speaker and independent diversity and accessibility consultant. Amit studied medicine at Cambridge University and qualified as a trauma doctor, specializing in emergency medicine and major incidents.

During med school Amit was diagnosed with keratoconus, which is usually easily treated with a corneal transplant. However, Amit was one of the rare individuals for whom the transplants rejected and he was registered severely sight impaired (blind) just one year after getting married in 2013. After coming to terms with his own sight loss, Amit set out to help others who were new to sight loss, through volunteering with the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) and Guide Dogs for the Blind. Amit is married to Seema and together they have a two children.