James has been approved for a seizure response dog from 4 Paws For Ability!

Our son James is 18 months old and full of rhythm and joy! He is the most easily delighted person I have ever met, and (I think) the cutest. He also has complex neurological differences. At 20 weeks pregnant, we learned that James has brain abnormalities and hydrocephalus. He has been diagnosed with Dandy Walker Malformation, Epilepsy, and lack of developmental and delays. His first couple months consisted of a 6 week NICU stay, and a TON of prayer. Since then, James has been filling our days with lots of therapy (Physical, Occupational, Speech), follow up appointments, giggles, MUSIC, and snuggles! Unfortunately, our time has also been spent fearing for James' health and at times, his life. With his conditions, he is more susceptible to catching illnesses. Along with the illness comes seizures even though he is on a few different medications. He can and does have seizures even when he is not sick, but it seems that it is worse when he is fighting something. When this happens, we often have to call EMS and visit the local emergency department due to prolonged seizures. On several occasions we have had to be flown to Kansas City to be readmitted to Children's Mercy Hospital as well. A couple of times we have awoke in the middle of the night and found James seizing. Those instances are always terrifying and he has required breathing assistance and the seizures that often start as focal seizures can last as tonic clonic seizure for over an hour. Emergency hospital visits are a stressful time for James and us as his parents. But even more than that is the dread and helpless feeling that we were not able to know about the seizure sooner in order to try to contain it. We now are recognized by our local first responders, emergency department staff, as well as some of the Children's Mercy staff. While the last couple years have been very scary for us, we are blessed with a great team of providers who work well together to help keep James safe and as healthy as possible! We have received countless prayers, gifts, support, and resources. Jacob and I are so incredibly grateful for that! 

One of the resources that we believe would be extremely beneficial to James and our family is a seizure response dog that is specially trained for James. Since 4 Paws For Ability is an accredited service dog training organization, this dog would be legally allowed to accompany James anywhere that we would need it to go.

What would this pup do for James exactly? I am so glad you asked!

A pup from 4 Paws For Ability would be able to alert Jacob and I as soon as James is experiencing a seizure. This would be especially valuable during the night hours! Since James' brain, unfortunately, has the potential to send a seizure signal from many different parts, it is not a possibility to prevent seizures completely. However, catching the seizure in the early stages is very important and can prevent extra risk to James health and life, as well as potentially preventing a hospital stay. BUT, that isn’t the only benefit of having a specially trained service dog! A pup from 4 Paws would also be able to carry medication, and bring blankets or stuffies to James for comfort after a seizure. It could provide familiar companionship and texture comfort to James which could help manage stress levels which can affect James' seizure threshold. Additionally, as James grows and gets stronger this dog could offer stability, and assistance, helping James' confidence and independence! 

What a valuable pup! 4 Paws For Ability offers excellent success stories, incredible training, and very helpful resources along the way. In order to receive this dog it costs $40,000 USD. 4 Paws For Ability asks that we raise half the cost. Then we can await our pup to be trained specifically for James! 

Thank you so much for reading and supporting us on this puppy-dog adventure!

Gratefully,

Denae and Jacob (James' mom and dad)

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.