10/25/2025
Introducing new EENP team 🍀 Mara Shapiro & Rooster! 🌸
Mara Shapiro is finishing up her Master’s in Public Health at the University of Virginia and recently made the move to North Carolina’s Triangle Area. A lifelong learner, Mara hopes to continue in academia — combining her curiosity, research interests, and commitment to public health. Outside of her studies, Mara finds peace and joy in the outdoors. She’s often out hiking with her corgi, Morty, or hitting the trails on her mountain bike — a sport she picked up four years ago as a way to stay active while adapting to her body’s changing needs.
Mara has always loved movement and challenge. In middle school, she was a competitive rock climber and spent much of her time outdoors. That changed after college, when she was diagnosed with Addison’s Disease — a rare condition that affects the body’s ability to produce cortisol, a hormone critical for regulating blood pressure, blood sugar, and the body’s response to stress. Without enough cortisol, activities like exercise, illness, or even hot weather can leave Mara feeling dizzy, weak, and nauseous. In more serious cases, she can experience an adrenal crisis, which requires emergency treatment. These days, she manages her condition with a cortisol pump that delivers the hormone throughout the day, with manual adjustments depending on her activity. Still, predicting how much she’ll need isn’t always easy.
Now, Mara has a new partner in managing her condition: Rooster, a highly trained Medical Alert Dog. Rooster is trained to detect changes in Mara’s cortisol levels and alert her before symptoms become dangerous. If Mara experiences a crisis and can’t get help herself, Rooster can retrieve her emergency kit or alert another person. Just as importantly, Rooster will give Mara something she’s been missing — the confidence and freedom to live fully, whether she’s at home, on campus, or out on the trail with Morty.
Rooster was named in memory of LaRue ""Rooster"" Haigler. Rooster’s training was made possible by an amazing team of volunteers, ABEL trainers, and staff, starting from his birth in the home of Mandy Hitchcock and support from a fantastic litter care team. His young puppy trainers were Allie Rupkalvis, Alex Jones, and Tawny Erikson. Rooster received advanced training from the ABEL trainers at Caswell CC, and his furlough trainers were Hanna Baum, Deb Cunningham, Deborah Gibbs, Elizabeth O'Melia, and Sarah Whittington.
🎉❤️ Welcome to the EENP family, Mara & Rooster! ❤️🎉
