Nicholas was officially diagnosed with Autism at the age of 6. Later that year he began to have seizures and through this we discovered he had a large brain malformation, he was diagnosed immediately after an MRI with Bilateral Parasagittal Parieto-Occipital Polymicrogyria. Which essentially means he has to many very small folds in his brain, causing it to appear to be smooth. Doctors have always been amazed at how extremely high functioning he is, despite his large defect. For the last 6 years we have struggled to find the right medication combination to help keep his seizures at bay. He has multiple different types of seizures without a common trigger. He struggles greatly in social situations and with anxiety. He is unbelievably smart, he loves anything history or space. We are so proud of all he has accomplished despite his struggles and can not wait to see where the future takes him. 

We are so excited to be in this program and hopefully be able to get him a furry friend to help with meltdowns and help to keep him safe when he seizes. We are hopeful that one day this will allow him to gain more independence. 

Nicholas is now 12 and finishing 6th grade. It has been an excedingly rough year but he has made it through! 

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.