Bullied as a child for her shyness and learning disability

Bullied as a child for her shyness and learning disability, which morphed into an eating disorder, not only has Erin Magee moved on, she has triumphed.

As part of Newton-Wellesley Hospital's Pet Therapy Program, Magee's small, silky white-haired Maltese brings love, joy and playfulness as well as a sense of calm to adult and child patients.

"Everybody benefits," said Lauren Lele, director of community benefits and volunteer services at the hospital. "If the patient is more calm and relaxed, it makes their care easier. The volunteers are in tune with the patients' needs."

The therapy program began five years ago with adult patients. With its success, pooches began parading into the pediatric unit and eventually the psychiatric ward.

"The psychiatric volunteer is also a social worker," said Lele. "The pet therapy helps those patients who may be anxious or agitated. People love it. It's fairly unique."

Magee and her Maltese, named Lilly, love the program, too.

"When I say, 'Come on, Lilly, let's go to the hospital,' she's at the door with her tail wagging and ready to go," said her master. "It makes me feel good to see all the love she gives to people. Even the staff likes Lilly. They call her sweetie pie and enjoy seeing her."

Lilly will do just about anything the patients want to make them feel better, including sitting on their laps, curling up next to them or standing by their beds.

Since Lilly is only 4 years old, she can still show her puppy playfulness in a game of hide-and-seek with the children, said Magee.

"Lilly seems to know the patients need comfort," said the Marlborough native. "After we visit with them, you can tell the patients are content."

Cleanliness is also an important program element. The dogs are shampooed before visiting patients. If sitting on a bed, dogs rest on sanitized padding, said Lele.

Before Magee and the Maltese could begin the program, they both went through rigorous training and testing, which began with basic obedience and the Canine Good Citizen test at Especially for Pets in Sudbury to ensure the dog is good with other people and animals.

Testing for certification followed at Pets & People in Weston with Lilly and Magee showing they could work as a team. It's where they learned the importance of obedience in a hospital setting.

Magee also went through the hospital's intake procedures and shadowed the previous pet therapy volunteer. The 36-year-old and her bundle of love have been on the job about two months.

As any pet owner knows, a lovable dog can make a bad day better.

"The patients may be sad or in pain, but Lilly brightens their day," she said.

For a long time, particularly since she has owned Lilly, Magee wanted to share her with others in pet therapy. A twist of fate eventually led her to it.

Diagnosed with anorexia for excessive daily cardio exercise of one-and-a-half to two hours and limiting her caloric intake, the 5-foot,1-inch Marlborough resident dropped to 90 pounds.

"I felt awful doing the exercise, but the disorder pushed me to keep doing it and doctors had to remove 75 percent of my colon," she said.

"Doctors think my eating disorder may have started as a child when kids picked on me,"" she added.

"I was really shy and they knew I wouldn't stand up for myself. It progressed because of my learning disability."

After residential treatment, Magee is back on track, following her meal plan, moving on and helping others heal.

To anyone being bullied, Magee said, "You can overcome it and get better. It's a long struggle, but you have to push through it and realize what in life gives you pleasure and surround yourself with positive people. It will get you grounded. Know what you need is in you."

The dog lover knows she is fortunate to have supportive parents, Eileen and Ray, and her brother, Colin.

Magee enjoys visiting the patients and watching Lilly do her magic with them.

"My illness helped me relate to them and their needs," she said.

"It's tough enough figuring yourself out when going to school," added Magee. "I've come a long way. I'm definitely not shy with this at all. I love it."

-Kathy Coan Uek can be reached at uekstories@gmail.com.