Addie Rose's Seizure Assistance Dog

December 8, 2014 is the day our family was completed, with the addition of little Addison Rose We reveled in the joy and love that this baby brought to our hearts. The first two days of Addison’s life were just as any other newborns, filled with love and aspirations. Family, friends, and her big sister, Preslie, spent those two days at the hospital smitten over our blonde-haired, blue-eyed, beautiful baby girl. When she was two days old, we were discharged to go home with our perfectly healthy baby; but things weren’t quite as they seemed. When we were home with Addison that day, we noticed what looked like a newborn twitch. She did it again a few more times that day, and again the next day. Something in my gut told me this was not just a normal newborn movement.
Addison had her follow up appointment with her pediatrician, Dr. Harper, on day four, and at that time I explained to the doctor exactly what I saw. Without any hesitation, Dr. Harper admitted Addison to the hospital to have an EEG, MRI, and blood work to determine what was going on with our precious baby. After the test results came back, it was confirmed by a doctor that these newborn twitches, were indeed seizures. Not knowing much about seizures or epilepsy, we quickly did some research, and found a great pediatric neurologist, Dr. So, in Plano, TX. At one-month old, Addison had her second EEG with the new doctor. We made some medication adjustments, with the expectation that these were only newborn twitches, and she should grow out of them soon.
As time passed, the seizures became more frequent and stronger. Around three months of age, she was officially diagnosed with epilepsy. We started doing genetic testing, and researching why she was still having these seizures, and why medication was not stopping them from rearing their ugly head. Over the next 10 months, Addison had many tests done, and over 10 medication changes. She went through extensive testing, including another MRI, to determine if she would be a good candidate for brain surgery. We were told by Dr. So that at that time, surgery was not an option for Addison, because her seizures were coming from so many different places in her brain. To confirm this, we decided to make a trip to Texas Children’s Hospital to meet with a pediatric epileptologist, Dr. Ummat. She, along with her team of neurologists and neurosurgeons, decided that surgery won’t be an option in the near future. We have been so hopeful that one day, Addie will grow out of these monsters and live a seizure free life, but our last visit with the neurologist in January, dampened our hopes. With the frequency of the seizures, and because they are multi-focal, the possibility of seizure freedom is grim at this time, but, we will always have hope.
Currently, at 14-months, Addie experiences an average of 10 seizures every day, and has not been seizure free for over 10 months. We continue to work diligently with her neurologist and geneticist to find answers and a treatment that will help our baby girl. We have decided that until she gains some seizure control, having a personal seizure assistance dog will be the best thing for Addie Rose. The dog will help improve Addison’s quality of life and safety by assisting her when she seizes, by breaking her falls, bracing her, keeping objects out of the way that could further injure her, and providing comfort. The dog will be trained to retrieve rescue medication if needed, to come get an adult when she seizes, and it will rescue her from a swimming pool or water if she seizes while swimming. A seizure assistance dog will provide an extra set of eyes and give her the confidence she will need to be independent as she gets older, as well as provide a sense of security and peace of mind throughout the night.
We are asking for your help in raising the $15,000 needed for the dog and training.
Monetary donations can be made directly to the family, via www.gofundme.com/btkyk9u4, or to Noelle’s Dogs Four Hope in Addison’s name; their address is:
15954 Jackson Creek Parkway
Suite B, PMB #453
Monument, CO 80132
Their Tax ID number is 33-1217134.



Thank you so much for your generous support in our efforts to improve the life of our beloved little girl!

God Bless,
The Knighton Family


To learn more about Addie Rose's journey with epilepsy and to stay up to date with her current plan of care, we encourage you to visit her facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/AddieRoseWarrior/