Maria Gertsou

Lara, the black labrador who became a symbol of hope for blind and visually impaired people in Greece by becoming the country's first trained guide dog, died on Tuesday night, aged 16.

Ioanna-Maria Gertsou is a psychologist at Aghia Sofia Children's Hospital, co-founder of the Lara Guide Dog School and an activist for people with visual impairments. She has survived some major ordeals during her life, but the one that she experienced earlier this month was among the worst.