I'm Kaya Sophia Nazzarine.  I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was just a baby.  My type of epilepsy is considered "medically refractory", which means my seizures have never gone away and are hard to treat. My family has been my biggest support throughout this difficult journey.  Despite multiple brain surgeries, a specialized diet, a vagus nerve stimulator, and so many different medicines, my seizures still affect my life today.  Unfortunately, before my 18th birthday this past April, I experienced my first grand mal seizure.  At a time when I wish I could be experiencing more independence, my epilepsy is getting in the way.  Although I've had seizures most of my life, these new types of seizures have made life much more scary for both me and my family.  In order to help me continue living life to the fullest, I need a partner there with me, to keep me safe.  Please help me raise the funds to get a service dog.  The specialized training for a seizure dog takes almost 2 years.  I will be a senior in high school this coming school year.  My hope is to be able to navigate life after high school by going to college and pursuing my dreams in the arts, but I'll need a "doggy partner" by my side to help me achieve those goals.  Thank you for all the love and support over my lifetime so far!  Any help given is so appreciated. 

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.