Cory was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in 2024 at 7 years old and developed seizures shortly after that in Aug 2024. It's been almost 2 years and we still do not have control over her seizures. We have been on several different medications, had genetic testing (with negative results), EEG's, MRI's, CT scans etc. We have tried different seizure monitoring devices that continue to miss capturing some seizure activity. Due to the type of seizures, and the inability to control them puts her at risk for SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in epileptic) which is terrifying to us. We are trying everything we know to get her seizures managed so they don't manage her life. Her FASD causes cognitive delays, poor executive functioning, slow processing, etc. which often makes it hard for her to regulate her emotions. This impacts daily life especially making it difficult for her to make and keep friends her age. When we learned about 4 Paws we knew right away Cory could benefit from having a service dog in a number of ways. This would not only be a seizure service dog, but a companion that helps her when she is anxious, fearful and/or dysregulated. We are working toward a life that is defined by her dreams not her diagnosis'. 

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.