Anna's Epilepsy Service Dog Fund

My younger sister has had epilepsy since she was nine weeks old. She's twenty six now, and will turn twenty seven on the 20th of June. We share the same birthday, and I will be turning twenty nine. She has been on every medication that exists to treat epilepsy. She has had electronic equipment installed in her chest that sent an electric current up through one of her arteries in her neck to try to prevent and stop seizures. And, about three years ago she had part of her brain removed in the hope that it would get rid of her seizures. Nothing has ever worked for her. She will never have a normal life, but that has never stopped her from fighting. She's the person I look up to more than anyone. I don't know of anyone else with the same level of perserverance and just plain stubborness that she possesses. She may have seizures almost every day, but she'll be damned if she'll let them run her life more than they are able to.

In 2007, Anna was able to get a small taste of normalcy when we welcomed her first service dog, Brittany, into our family. Brittany allowed Anna to feel a sense of independence that she had never known, and I sincerely believe my sister wouldn't be the person she is today if Brittany hadn't been there for her. Brittany was as sweet and patient of a dog as you could hope for to be a companion to your little sister. We all loved Brittany, and were very sad to have to say goodbye to her at the beginning of this year.

This GoFundMe is to help raise money to bring home Anna's new service dog, Chelsea. Chelsea is a sweet, smart black lab who is currenly being trained and will be ready to come home later this year. My parents have been able to save a little more than a third of what they'll need to pay for Chelsea, but we are still a ways off from what will be needed. I thought starting a GoFundMe would be a good way to get my sister a little closer to that independence and sense of normalcy she's been missing. We all appreciate anything anyone is able to give to help our family.

Thank you.