Jessica is a delightful 17 year old young woman with legal blindness and multiple disabilities, which include retinal dystrophy, characteristics of Coffin Lowry Syndrome, developmental delay, and mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. Jessica also has a diagnosis of Anxiety Disorder for which she receives ongoing care and treatment. Jessica lives in Allegheny County with her adoring parents,supportive younger brother, and her older brother who lives in Florida. In spite of her challenges, Jessica has made impressive gains in her educational program at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children where she has been enrolled since September 2008.

Jessica’s physical and intellectual limitations do not allow for her to have a guide (seeing eye) dog; however, due to the tenacious efforts of her family, she was recently evaluated and approved for a service dog through Perfect Fit Canines, a Pittsburgh-based agency that carefully trains English Labradors to understand, protect, and comfort their owners. Perfect Fit builds on the knowledge and experience which shows that people with medical and/or psychological conditions benefit from service dogs. The cost of the dog and training (which is an average 2 years) is very expensive. The owner and dog learn in tandem to give and heed commands, using intensive training and behavior modification methods, at a cost of between $10,000 and $20,000. An upfront deposit of $1800 is required to secure a dog and to begin the training process.

Your donation for this beautiful gift to Jessica will be greatly appreciated. 

-The Delao Family