A service dog for Ava Grace
Donation protected
Please help me give my little girl her life back...
My daughter Ava is a super bright, very sweet and loving little 11 year old girl. She loves soccer, school, playing outside and giggly girl talk with her friends.
Or at least she used to...
Now Ava spends her time in the house, rarely leaving for fear of the outside world and for what people may think when they look at her.
You see, Ava suffers from Tourette syndrome and it came into our lives 6 months ago like a thief in the night masking and hiding all the wonderful qualities that made my little girl amazing. Seemingly overnight her symptoms worsened to the degree that she is now mostly homebound, and unable to attend school where she was top of her class.
Ava's tics vary wildly and include: ear piercingly loud shrieks, yelling obscenities and insults, repeating phrases, running full speed into walls and once in front of a car, punching herself in the head and face, punching walls, throwing herself to the ground full force etc, just to name a few.
If all of that weren't bad enough, it pales in comparison to what she suffers at the hands of the co-morbidities that can often accompany Tourette Syndrome. Severe anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive disorder.
It started as a sudden fear of elevators, then water slides, then being away from me... and now, my child will look at me as if I were a stranger and yell for me to get away from her, that I'm "going to get her". She will hide under beds, and claw at her skin until she bleeds.. her hands, her face, her legs...
Simply leaving the house to run errands can induce huge panic attacks lasting 3 hours at times, and often she will suffer 1-3 per day. I'll find her in her closet or under my bed hyperventilating.
She's been on large adult doses of Klonopin to try to ease her anxiety, and though it did save her from being admitted to a psychiatric inpatient program, its in turn made her very numb to life and vacant-eyed.
Ava has asked for a service dog and I truly believe this may be her lifeline! I believe this is exactly what she needs to provide that extra support, comfort and calming when in the midst of the attack or even better, help calm her before it starts!
Like any unfamiliar person, I had no idea of the cost for this gift of life to my daughter.
Due to Ava's disabilities I've had to take a leave of absence from my job in order to take over her care and schooling. We are by no means able to fund this alone.
We can't express to you what this could mean for our daughter in any other way other than you could be giving my daughter her life back, and for that we are eternally grateful.
My daughter Ava is a super bright, very sweet and loving little 11 year old girl. She loves soccer, school, playing outside and giggly girl talk with her friends.
Or at least she used to...
Now Ava spends her time in the house, rarely leaving for fear of the outside world and for what people may think when they look at her.
You see, Ava suffers from Tourette syndrome and it came into our lives 6 months ago like a thief in the night masking and hiding all the wonderful qualities that made my little girl amazing. Seemingly overnight her symptoms worsened to the degree that she is now mostly homebound, and unable to attend school where she was top of her class.
Ava's tics vary wildly and include: ear piercingly loud shrieks, yelling obscenities and insults, repeating phrases, running full speed into walls and once in front of a car, punching herself in the head and face, punching walls, throwing herself to the ground full force etc, just to name a few.
If all of that weren't bad enough, it pales in comparison to what she suffers at the hands of the co-morbidities that can often accompany Tourette Syndrome. Severe anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive disorder.
It started as a sudden fear of elevators, then water slides, then being away from me... and now, my child will look at me as if I were a stranger and yell for me to get away from her, that I'm "going to get her". She will hide under beds, and claw at her skin until she bleeds.. her hands, her face, her legs...
Simply leaving the house to run errands can induce huge panic attacks lasting 3 hours at times, and often she will suffer 1-3 per day. I'll find her in her closet or under my bed hyperventilating.
She's been on large adult doses of Klonopin to try to ease her anxiety, and though it did save her from being admitted to a psychiatric inpatient program, its in turn made her very numb to life and vacant-eyed.
Ava has asked for a service dog and I truly believe this may be her lifeline! I believe this is exactly what she needs to provide that extra support, comfort and calming when in the midst of the attack or even better, help calm her before it starts!
Like any unfamiliar person, I had no idea of the cost for this gift of life to my daughter.
Due to Ava's disabilities I've had to take a leave of absence from my job in order to take over her care and schooling. We are by no means able to fund this alone.
We can't express to you what this could mean for our daughter in any other way other than you could be giving my daughter her life back, and for that we are eternally grateful.
Organiser
Kimberly Bliss
Organiser
Antelope, CA
