Meet Delano! He is visually impaired, but, he is so much more than his disability. Being visually impaired has not stopped him from living life to the fullest. He is an artist, a creator, a martial arts student, a golfer, a chocolate enthusiast, and so much more.

When he was a toddler, I knew something wasn't right with his eye sight. I had him tested when he was three years old. At four years old, he was tested and diagnosed with a rare disease/disorder, Cone Retinal Dystrophy. This means his center vision is blurred. He has extreme light sensitivity and some inability to differentiate certain colors. Instead of 20/20 vision, Delano has 20/400 vision. He has eyeglasses that allow him to see between 20/200 to 20/100. When he put glasses on for the first time in four years, he said to me, "Mommy: I can see shapes!" My heart broke. Delano acclamates to his environment as best as he can. However, there are many times when he is unable to see certain obstacles and is injured. Some examples have been tree branches, metal poles, curbs, cracks in sidewalks, uneven surfaces, bicycle racks, glass walls, and more. As a little guy, he could hold my hand or arm. We are getting him connected with a facilitated guide dog so that he can gain some independence. Our hope is that we can give him the opportunity where his day to day is safeguarded, allowing him to freely move about without harm.

Please help us to raise $23.000 for his facilitated guide dog, our part to pay, of which costs 4 paws For Ability, Inc. $40,000- $60,000, in total, for breeding, raising, training both the dog and the trainers, vet costs, facility costs, etc. Having this dog will give him the ability to navigate through life while being kept safe from potential hazards.

Training a service dog to meet our child’s requirements can be very costly. On average it costs between $40,000-60,000 to raise, train, and place a service dog at 4 Paws for Ability. While 4 Paws for Ability fundraises to help cover a significant portion of this cost, families are tasked with raising $20,000 of that amount or $23,000 if receiving a poodle, doodle or papillon. We hope that we can receive assistance from our beloved family and friends to help make our service dog dream a reality.