Ben's Travel Expenses

The short version is: Ben (15) will be receiving a service dog in September from 4 Paws For Ability  in Xenia, OH. We are asking for help with the hotel costs, meals, startup expenses for the dog and some of the extra expenses associated with Ben's care. Ben has intractable epilepsy, has had part of his brain removed and has developmental delays.

Previously, we were blessed by the generous donations of many who made this dog possible. We have been so blessed by the outpouring of love and concern, prayers and gifts for Ben over the years. We are now planning for our stay in Xenia. Although we are close enough to drive back and forth each day, it is a requirement of the training process to stay in Xenia close to the facility. Some of our training will include working with the dog at stores, restaurants and the hotel. We will be staying in Xenia for 12 nights. There must be 2 adults as well as Ben there for the training. 

Ben's class will be September 12 - 23rd and we need to make reservations soon.  I hesitated to ask for help with these expenses. But, I know many have wanted to help over the years and it would be a blessing to us to have these financial expenses shared.

If you would like to read more about Ben and his struggles with epilepsy, here is the longer version. 

Ben was perfectly healthy until he was 3 years old when he had 3 seizures over a 6 week period. He then had another healthy year until the seizures returned. This time, they came with a vengeance and progressed until he was having over 100/month. We saw numerous neurologists, tried various medications, chiropractic care, natural remedies and special diets for the next 4 years. There are many different types of epilepsy and Ben's case was a very hard one to diagnose. During this time, Ben had many days he was not able to function in a normal way at all. Many days he spent sitting on the couch, unable to hold his head up, not speaking and drooling. At times the seizures caused painful migraines and vomiting. Eventually Ben was having over 50 seizures/day and surgery became necessary to remove parts of his brain where the seizures were originating. He had 2 brain surgeries in 2010 and we learned that Ben's diagnosis is cortical dysplasia, meaning it was caused from a birth defect. Now at age 13, he has about 2 seizures/week. The numerous seizures and surgery have left him with developmental delays and minor behavior issues.
In 2014 , Ben was diagnosed with an additional condition. In 2013 he had an episode where his face swelled up like a marshmallow from an unknown cause. In 2014, he suddenly woke up and was struggling to breathe as his tongue was swelling and throat was constricting. Testing at an allergist resulted in a diagnosis of angioedema. Ben now travels with an epi-pen and Benadryl everywhere he goes because we do not know what his trigger is.



So  we decided a seizure alert dog would greatly benefit Ben. For some children, just the presence of a dog will provide a calming effect and reduce their number of seizures. Some dogs will be able to sense a seizure before it starts, providing a warning for the family and thereby reducing falls. The dog can be trained to respond to the word, "Help", and Ben could get the dog to alert us if he started struggling with his breathing. The service dogs can also be trained to intervene during behavior problems by providing a distraction. Having a service dog will give Ben more independence and help him to have a more "normal" life in a safe environment.

Read the story of Ben's surgery here: http://www.carepages.com/carepages/BensNewBeginning/updates