Hi! My name is Racquel and I live with my husband Alex and our daughter in Fort Mill SC.
Eletheia will be 3 on December 30th 2024! She has a condition in which her brain has trouble receiving and responding to information that comes in through the senses. Because of this her nervous system is oversensitive to things in her environment. Common sounds, lighting, smells, tastes, touch, temperatures and social interactions can often be painful experiences for her. This can make it extremely challenging to do daily tasks like eating, sleeping, washing, getting dressed, going outside, riding in the car, going to the park, store, church ect. When her nervous system gets too many of these experiences she spirals into a fight or flight adrenaline reaction which can be very challenging to recover from depending on the severity of it.

4 Paws for Ability service dogs are trained in behavior disruption techniques and possess a remarkable ability to recognize emotional and behavioral changes in a child. They respond through techniques such as deep pressure therapy and redirection, aimed to provide comfort and security for the child. This task is crucial in mitigating meltdowns, oftentimes related to a child who is on the autism spectrum.

We are so excited for Eletheia's service dog who will be an incredible support to our whole family, and help her to truly enjoy with confidence our wonderful community of Fort Mill!
Thank you so very much and God Bless!!

With great thankfulness.....The Nowakowski Family!

For more information on how to donate directly towards the service dog travel expenses contact Racquel Nowakowski  843-327-0357

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.