If it wasn't for life-saving Labrador Ace then Nottingham's Natasha would be dead.
The 24-year-old gymnast has an incredibly rare condition which makes her allergic to the world around her.
Fearful that an allergic reaction would be imminent, Natasha Coates, from Nuthall, locked herself away from the world as doctors struggled to find a diagnosis.
Something as subtle as the smell of food could drive her into an anaphylactic shock, where her throat could swell so badly she would struggle to breath.
Her mum had to quit her job, and even sleep by her bedside, as some reactions had been so severe they had left Natasha in intensive care.
Her first allergic reaction was in 2013 while out with friends. It had come on without warning, but it was only two years later that she was finally diagnosed with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.
However, the diagnosis gave her little respite, she had lost her independence, and felt uncomfortable going out.
Then, charity Medical Detection Dogs got in touch - they paired her with Ace, a big yellow Labrador, who can detect when Natasha is about to feel unwell.
In the first six months he alerted her 122 times!
She told Nottinghamshire Live: "Before Ace, I had no independence, my mum had to go out with me all the time.
"A trip to Tesco was too difficult because I would have a reaction to the smell of food.
"I was living with a permanent allergic reaction. I was in intensive care at least once a month.
"It is not that I am allergic to multiple things, it is that my body responds inappropriately to the world around me.
"It is not like a nut allergy where you can stop eating nuts.
"I could eat a cheese sandwich one day and be fine and then eat it the next day and it could almost kill me. It is like Russian Roulette.
"Before Ace, I had a poor quality of life. I was down to three foods - chicken, broccoli and potato. I was in bed doing nothing still having reactions. I had planned my funeral."
In February 2018, she came across the Medical Detection Dogs website. They train animals to detect the odour of human disease.
She said there was no guarantee this would work, as no dog had been trained in something as rare as Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.
But when her eyes met Ace's she knew he was the dog for her.
Natasha, who has 22 British gymnastic titles to her name, explained: "He has been made to detect odour when I am unwell. He has a brilliant nose. It is normally three to five minutes before."
She said he can smell "the chemical change" in her body such as sweat and if she struggles to convey how she is feeling he is trained to alert her parents.
"He's magic. He has never got it wrong," she laughs. "It gives me time to take my medication before my throat or tongue swell. It reduces the severity.
"If I am unconscious he will wake my mum and dad up, he has done this before. He is amazing. I have my independence. Things you take for granted like walking to your corner shop.
"I am living all over again. Ace is the first dog for this condition. He is my hero."
