Ashley Mae was diagnosed the day before her 12th Birthday with a rare neurological muscular disorder called Myasthenia Gravis (which means Grave weakness)
Myasthenia Gravis affects all voluntary muscles so arms, legs, lungs, throat, mouth, tongue, eyes…anything that she has control of in her body has the potential to become so weak it refuses to work anymore. The more she uses a muscle, the more her body attacks it. That leads to times when she can’t walk, use her arms, talk clearly, see clearly, or even get out of bed. If she pushes herself too hard her lungs start to be affected which is incredibly dangerous for her. At times Ashley is too weak to eat or she chokes on simple things like water.
Now at 13 years old, every 4 weeks Ashley spends two days in the hospital receiving IVIG infusions to help her fight MG. She then spends days in bed recovering from the infusions with migraines and nausea. Once the recovery passes Ashley gets about two “decent”weeks and then her infusions wear off and as she waits for another infusion she grows weaker and weaker all over again. It’s a heart-breaking cycle.
There have been so many times Ashley has needed help at night but she was unable to get to me or alert me that she was in trouble. Her bp would drop and she would pass out or not be able to see to find me, or just be overall too weak to come to my room for help. I’m terrified to leave her alone in case she chokes or passes out and can’t get help. These are the reasons Ashley needs a service dog. For those times when her body is failing her, then her service dog could alert people that she needs help. If she’s out and doesn’t need her wheelchair, but then her legs become weak, she could use her dog to steady her long enough to get to a safe place. Not to mention all of those days she recovers alone in her room from infusions or just MG weakness, having the companionship would be incredibly beneficial to her overall well-being.
Ashley Mae is one of the kindest people I have ever met! She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body and loves everyone. She has been dealt an incredibly hard diagnosis. She handles it with such grace and rarely complains even though I see in her eyes and spirit how hard this has been on her for her body to fail her like this, when all she wants to do is run around and be a kid.
I hate to ask for help, more than anything! As single mom to three and a small business owner I just can’t do this part on my own. I already had to made the decision to take a week off every month to see her through infusions and the recovery period. The last time I left her for a job while she was sick I remember her telling me from the shower (where she goes to sit in the water and try to get relief) “mom you go do your job, and you don’t think about me at all while you’re gone, you need to have a good time” all the while she’s crying with a migraine. I made the hard decision that day that I wont leave Ashley alone while I work and have her suffer through those days by herself.
So I’m asking, please help me get Ashley Mae the service dog she so desperately needs! All money raised will go directly towards purchasing and training a service dog that will help alert me when she is in medical crisis, help with her mobility, and be a companion to Ashley while she is recovering or weak.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!