Emersyn — “Emmy” to everyone who knows her — is a joyful, funny, determined six-year-old with a huge personality and a smile that can light up a room.

She loves music, numbers, Bluey, Numberblocks, being silly, and being right in the middle of whatever our family is doing. She is curious, independent, incredibly determined, and has a wonderfully strong personality. Emmy knows what she wants — and even without spoken words, she usually finds a way to make sure the rest of us know too.

Emmy was born with a rare genetic condition called Coffin-Siris syndrome caused by a change in her ARID1B gene. Because of her condition, Emmy has developmental delays, low muscle tone, sensory needs, and significant communication challenges. She is non-speaking and uses an AAC device to communicate.

But being non-speaking does not mean Emmy doesn't have a lot to say.

She understands so much of the world around her, has very definite opinions, and finds plenty of ways to make those opinions known! Over the years, we have watched her work incredibly hard for milestones that come naturally to most children. Every new skill, every new way she learns to communicate, and every little piece of independence has been hard earned.

And she keeps going.

Then epilepsy became part of Emmy's story.

This summer, Emmy began experiencing multiple seizures, including one that lasted more than 30 minutes. She was diagnosed with epilepsy and now takes daily anti-seizure medication. Despite treatment, she continues to experience several seizures each month.

For us, one of the hardest parts of Emmy having epilepsy is that she cannot tell us when something is wrong.

She can't call out for Mom or Dad. She can't tell us that something feels strange or that she thinks a seizure may be coming. And afterward, she can't explain to us what she experienced.

We have learned to watch closely and recognize the subtle signs her body gives us, but there is always the fear that we could miss something.

That fear becomes even greater at night.

We have learned that Emmy's seizure activity is worse while she is sleeping. As her parents, knowing that seizures may happen while the rest of the house is asleep is incredibly scary. We can use monitors, watch her closely, and take every precaution we can — but we cannot physically watch her every second of every night.

That's one of the reasons we began looking into a service dog.

And then we found 4 Paws for Ability.

We applied for a specially trained service dog for Emmy, and we are incredibly excited to share that she was accepted!

A service dog can provide another layer of safety for Emmy by being trained to respond to her seizures and alert us when she needs help — something that is especially meaningful during the nighttime hours.

For a little girl who cannot yell, “Mom, I need you,” having another way to call for help is incredibly powerful.

And for us as her family, having a dog beside her that is specifically trained for Emmy's needs would provide something epilepsy has taken a lot of away from us: peace of mind.

But this dog will be about so much more than epilepsy.

As Emmy grows, we want her world to grow with her.

We want her to participate in school, our community, family adventures, and everyday life with as much independence as possible. Her service dog can become a constant partner beside her — helping with safety, regulation, companionship, and independence while giving Emmy another way to navigate a world that isn't always designed for her.

Our goal has never been to make Emmy's world smaller so that we can keep her safe.

Our goal is to give her the support she needs to make her world bigger.

Now we need your help.

The cost to raise, train, and place a highly trained service dog through 4 Paws for Ability is significant. 4 Paws fundraises to cover a large portion of that cost, and our family has committed to raising $20,000 toward Emmy's service dog.

If you know Emmy, you know how hard she works.

Things most of us never have to think twice about — communicating what we need, navigating our surroundings, learning new skills, and becoming independent — have required years of therapy, thousands of repetitions, patience, determination, and a whole lot of hard work from this little girl.

This time, we get to do some of the hard work for her.

We have been incredibly blessed by a community that shows up for people when they need it, and now we're asking that community to rally around our girl.

Every donation brings Emmy closer to her service dog. Every share introduces her story to someone new. And every person who chooses to be part of this journey is helping give Emmy another pathway toward safety and independence.

Someday, after all the fundraising, waiting, and training, a very special dog will finally be placed beside our girl.

And that dog won't just be a pet.

It will be Emmy's partner, her helper, her companion, and another way for her to say “I need you” when her own voice cannot.

Thank you for helping us bring Emmy's service dog home. 

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.