Meet Zack. Zack is a compassionate and adventurous 15-year-old animal lover whose journey with seizures began at just 7 months old. After his diagnosis, Zack received aggressive treatment and was seizure-free until he turned 7. During these formative years, he thrived -pursuing his love of sports like soccer, skiing, football, basketball, and challenging himself with puzzles.

Unfortunately, Zack’s seizures returned at age 7, and for the past eight years we have been searching for a cure for his epilepsy. Guided by an outstanding medical team, Zack’s seizures have decreased but not abated despite a complex medication regimen. This led to two brain surgeries over the past three years but unfortunately Zack continues to have seizures. Due to the unpredictability of the seizures, Zack had to give up many of his passions (skiing and cycling) for safety reasons except one –time with animals. 

Zack’s passion for animals has remained a constant source of joy. He participated in the “Ride to Walk” Program, which helps children with disabilities build physical and emotional strength by learning to ride horses. Zack especially loves dogs and cherishes every moment spent with his grandparents’ Golden Retriever. Owning a dog has long been his dream.

This enduring love for animals has inspired our next step in supporting Zack’s independence: seeking a seizure alert dog who will alert us if he has a seizure and stays by his side until he recovers. We are now fundraising to help make this adventure possible through 4 Paws for Ability. This dog will also be his loving furry companion.

Your support will help Zack achieve greater independence and and safety through the companionship of a seizure alert dog. We We are deeply grateful for any donation made in Zack’s name-every contribution brings us closer to this life-changing goal.
 

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.