Kika & Me
From the challenges of travelling when blind to becoming a parent for the first time, Kika & Me is the moving, heart-warming and inspirational story of Dr Amit Patel’s sight-loss journey and how one guide dog changed his world.
'Inspiring and compelling. rekindles one's faith in human nature' - Andrew Marr
Amit Patel is working as a trauma doctor when a rare condition causes him to lose his sight within thirty-six hours. Totally dependent on others and terrified of stepping outside with a white cane after he's assaulted, he hits rock bottom. He refuses to leave home on his own for three months. With the support of his wife Seema he slowly adapts to his new situation, but how could life ever be the way it was? Then his guide dog Kika comes along . . .
But Kika’s stubbornness almost puts her guide dog training in jeopardy – could her quirky personality be a perfect match for someone? Meanwhile Amit has reservations – can 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. The partnership not only gives Amit a renewed lease of life but a new best friend. 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, showing that nothing will hold them back.
BEST DEALS
About the Author
Dr Amit Patel is a disability rights campaigner, motivational speaker and independent diversity, inclusion and accessibility consultant. He is registered severely sight impaired (blind) having lost his sight to keratoconus in 2013.
Amit studied medicine at Cambridge and qualified as a doctor, specialising in emergency medicine and major incidents. During medical school, Amit was diagnosed with keratoconus, a condition which changes the shape of your corneas, but which is usually easily treated with a corneal transplant. However, Amit was one of the rare individuals for whom the transplants rejected and despite travelling to the US for ground breaking surgery, Amit lost his sight completely just one year after getting married.
Since then, Amit has been on a journey to learn to live with his sight loss, from learning how to make a cup of tea again to walking using a white cane. Once getting to grips with the basics himself, 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 now an active campaigner for accessibility, diversity and inclusion, speaking out against the issues that disabled people face daily.
In September 2014, and after only 6 weeks on the waiting list, Amit was matched to his Guide Dog, Kika, a white labrador. Together, Amit and Kika travel through London and its surrounds on a daily basis, charting their journeys, challenges and the people they meet on their travels via their Twitter accounts (@Kika_GuideDog and @BlindDad_UK) and Instagram (@Kika_GuideDog).
Amit has appeared in various online and print media in the UK and around the world, as well as featuring on BBC London News, ITV London News, Channel 4 News, Channel 5 News and Sky Sunrise. He is a regular contributor to the BBC Asian Network, BBC Radio 4, BBC 5 Live and BBC London Radio.
Amit’s first book, ‘Kika & Me’ is due to be published by Pan Macmillan in February 2020. Amit is married to Seema and they have 2 children alongside his Guide Dog Kika, who is 6 years old.