I will try and keep this as short as possible.  Many of you know, some do not, that Natalyn has been battling a health issue for the last couple of years.  She suffers from episodes that look like seizures that last for close to 25 minutes before she regains consciousness.  There is no forewarning when they happen.  She can be standing or sitting and will drop to the floor unannounced and it begins.  Medical testing has been extensive.  Teams of neurologists and cardiologists at both Akron Children’s and Vanderbilt University Hospital have been unable to officially diagnose her.  By ruling out epilepsy, POTS, and all of the other common disorders, they have classified her condition as a non-epileptic seizure disorder. During her freshman year of college, she suffered close to 40 of these episodes. They’ve happened in class, her dorm room, home, and out in public. 


Numerous doctors have recommended getting a service dog to watch over her and protect her during these events.  Service dogs are different from emotional support dogs.  Their training is extensive and expensive, reaching into the thousands of dollars.  We are hoping to offset the cost through a GoFundMe we have set up.  While we are still hoping for medical progress, we also need to make sure she is safe should she have an episode in public or alone and need medical attention. 

We are looking at purchasing a service dog in the next few weeks so we can work on getting it trained and certified before she returns to school in August. 

Please consider donating and/or forwarding this on to help lessen the cost of a service dog and the training it needs.  Thank you.