Catalina's Hearing Dog
Hi my name is Abril Burgoa. I am raising money to get a hearing dog for my sister Catalina. Getting a hearing dog from an agency like Neads is really expensive they cost about 42,000 dollars, we need to raise at least 8,000. My mom or dad and Cata need to travel to Maryland for about 2 weeks. There is a wait time of about 12 to 18 months.
I have been doing a lot of research on the web. I think the best option is to get a puppy from a breeder or rescue one from any local rescue group or shelter. Then take it to From the Heart Animal Behavior Counseling and Training, for basic training, then do a 1 on 1 training with Cata and her hearing dog. I believe this will be a great experience for me and my family especially Cata. Now I'm going to tell you a little bit bout my beastie.
Catalina is 10 years old, she was born deaf. My parents found out she was deaf when she was two days old. At three weeks of age she got her hearing aids, more test were done and she still couldn't hear. It was decided that she would be a good candidate for cochlear implants. She had to use the hearing aids for 1 year before she could be eligible to receive the cochlear implants. Her surgery was performed on her right ear only, on 01/19/08, her implant was turned on, on 02/14/08. The first time she was able to hear our voices her face lit up and her amazing blue eyes were wide open. She was the happiest girl in the world.
In August of 2011 when we were playing in the swings she fell and hit her head on the right side. The internal antenna of her cochlear implant was not working. Her cochlear implant was explanted and re-implanted on 09/16/11 and was turned on 10/03/11. For about 2 months she was completely deaf, those couple of months were really difficult for her. My parents decided to have her get surgery on her left ear. She Was implanted on the left ear on 05/30/13 and turned on, on 06/17/13.
Although Cata has been through a lot, she is still a happy girl. She enjoys music, loves animals. I mean she really really loves animals especially dogs. If my mom and dad would let her, our house would be full of all the stray animals from the neighborhood.
Thank you you for taking your time in reading about my sister. I am grateful for your support. Any little amount helps, a prayer helps a lot also.
Thank you,
Abril Burgoa
