A Service Dog for Kendall- Will you Help

A Service Dog would make all the difference in my life. Will you help me?

My name is Kendall Hodges. I am 49 years old, have been married for 16 years, and have 3 children. I have Machado-Joseph Disease (Ataxia SCA3). This is a progressive neurological disease with no known cure. I inherited Machado-Joseph from my mother. I had no idea what this disease was or that I had it until my late 30's when I began to have symptoms. My two sister are fine. Thankfully, they have escaped this nightmare. My symptoms began with difficulty speaking and have now progressed to poor muscle control of my arms and legs making it difficult if not impossible to write, walk, and generally enjoy independent living. I would love a Service Dog to help me pick up things I drop, turn on lights, open doors, and help me be as independent as possible because I am now in a wheelchair. Sometimes I feel alone and discouraged and would love a Service Dog to be my companion as well as my helper - now more than ever!

I have also been diagnosed with Lyme Disease and this may have contributed to the rapid progression of my Machado-Joseph's Disease. All I know is that this has all affected my weight (a 30 lb. weight loss), balance, speech, handwriting, and ability to think and concentrate.

I feel a great deal of urgency because I want to participate fully in my life. A Service Dog would help me both emotionally and physically as well as be a safety net if I was hurt or fell. It would be a relief to my family because they work or are in school and cannot be home with me. I am asking for your help because a Service Dog is expensive ($15,000-$20,000) and as you can imagine my medical bills are very high.

Machado-Joseph Disease is a progressive disease, will you help me today?

Thank you,
Kendall Hodges