Donation protected
Hi friends and family! Please read to get a glimpse into my friend Eric’s life. His journey has not been easy, it’s both heart-wrenching and scaring to watch. In addition, Eric has scoliosis. Scoliosis speaks to my mama heart because of Caleb’s diagnosis a few years ago. If you know Eric you know why I'm setting up a GoFundMe page. Eric has a servant's heart, loves children and smiles through his daily pain. Like he said, a seizure service dog could be a ‘matter of life or death’. Every dollar will help him reach the goal. He needs this. Please contribute if you can and share his story if you’re moved to. THANK YOU! Tammi :-)
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Hi. My name is Eric and I am looking for donations in order to train a Seizure Assistance/Awareness Dog for myself. I have been suffering from seizures for almost 10 years now, and usually experience a mixture of Absence seizures (when I am "awake" but do not know where I am or who I am, and can not move or talk), and Grand Mal seizures (when I black out, and fall to the ground convulsing). The first few years, with quite a bit of difficulty, I was able to manage the condition with medication and keep my job and continue going to college. I have probably had somewhere shy of 1,000 seizures, mostly 'clustered' together, a couple in a day, a couple days in a week, I usually came out ok in the end.
However, about two years ago this all changed. I experienced a severe Grand Mal seizure while asleep in my bed, which was bad enough to actually fracture my spine and left me with a herniated disc and frequent back pain. I had to stay in my bed wearing a brace for the next two months waiting to heal. Just six months after that I suffered an even worse Grand Mal seizure, this time at a restaurant. I ended up bashing my head into a counter and shattered the frontal bone of my skull, requiring surgery to place 9 plates with 29 screws in order to restore structure.
The truth is, I am very lucky to be alive. In both instances I could have died or been left paralyzed, and luckily I was close enough to other people both times to receive help. This won’t always be the case and that’s why I need a trained service dog. The dog would be able to respond immediately in many ways to my seizures. When recognizing a seizure they can bark to get other peoples attention and when alone can literally call 911 by pressing a special button that would be placed in my house. When a seizure begins they can stand next to me and try to break the fall, or when I am convulsing they can lay on top of me to minimize damage or push me over on my side to keep me from choking on vomit. It’s even possible for the dog to recognize a seizure moments before it happens so it can warn me, which would allow me to find the safest place possible to wait it out or to stop an activity that could be dangerous once a seizure starts.
A service dog could literally save my life! It’s a medical necessity for me, not a pet. Over the past two years I had originally signed up with a non-profit called True Blue Service Dogs. They would have completely paid for and trained a dog for me, unfortunately last year, as I was next on their list they had to shut down because of COVID and the loss of donations. This has put me in an awkward position to either try to find another charity and wait 2-3 more years, or raise money myself and work with a specialized trainer in order to have a service dog by the end of this year. With my health on the line, I decided I can not wait any longer.
Having this service dog would allow me to live on my own again, without fear that something awful could happen when no one else is around and able to help me. I can continue with volunteer work, and my desire it to train the dog as a therapy dog as well, that way I would be able to bring him to UC Davis Children's Hospital to visit the kids and comfort them when they're ill, especially the kids who have epilepsy themselves. Thank you for helping me, words can't describe my gratitude. Eric
Dog Breeder: Marble Mountain Kennels mmkennels.com
$2700 for 1st pick of litter, if it is a chocolate female. OR
$2200 for 1st pick, if it is a black male.
$1100 for 6 weeks of beginner training ('super citizens' training), $225/week if they need to train the puppy for an extra week or two.
$200 to deliver the puppy to Sacramento.
- rough total; $5,000 +tax
Trainer: Follow My Lead Dog Training cafollowmylead.com
$4,800 for 12 months of training ($399 for a 3-session package, 3 weeks/mo) +tax
(Jennifer, the trainer said its better to plan for a lot of training, and hope for less. Could potentially be 18-24months)
Veterinary Services: VCA Animal Hospital vcahospitals.com
Veterinary Examination, $70
Vaccinations, 5 separate vaccines $43/ea
Spaying, $150 for bloodwork and upward of $500 for the surgery.
Microchipping, $45
Worm-medication, $30 1st test & $88ea for 3 prescriptions.
- rough total; $1,266 +tax
GRAND TOTAL $12,000
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Hi. My name is Eric and I am looking for donations in order to train a Seizure Assistance/Awareness Dog for myself. I have been suffering from seizures for almost 10 years now, and usually experience a mixture of Absence seizures (when I am "awake" but do not know where I am or who I am, and can not move or talk), and Grand Mal seizures (when I black out, and fall to the ground convulsing). The first few years, with quite a bit of difficulty, I was able to manage the condition with medication and keep my job and continue going to college. I have probably had somewhere shy of 1,000 seizures, mostly 'clustered' together, a couple in a day, a couple days in a week, I usually came out ok in the end.
However, about two years ago this all changed. I experienced a severe Grand Mal seizure while asleep in my bed, which was bad enough to actually fracture my spine and left me with a herniated disc and frequent back pain. I had to stay in my bed wearing a brace for the next two months waiting to heal. Just six months after that I suffered an even worse Grand Mal seizure, this time at a restaurant. I ended up bashing my head into a counter and shattered the frontal bone of my skull, requiring surgery to place 9 plates with 29 screws in order to restore structure.
The truth is, I am very lucky to be alive. In both instances I could have died or been left paralyzed, and luckily I was close enough to other people both times to receive help. This won’t always be the case and that’s why I need a trained service dog. The dog would be able to respond immediately in many ways to my seizures. When recognizing a seizure they can bark to get other peoples attention and when alone can literally call 911 by pressing a special button that would be placed in my house. When a seizure begins they can stand next to me and try to break the fall, or when I am convulsing they can lay on top of me to minimize damage or push me over on my side to keep me from choking on vomit. It’s even possible for the dog to recognize a seizure moments before it happens so it can warn me, which would allow me to find the safest place possible to wait it out or to stop an activity that could be dangerous once a seizure starts.
A service dog could literally save my life! It’s a medical necessity for me, not a pet. Over the past two years I had originally signed up with a non-profit called True Blue Service Dogs. They would have completely paid for and trained a dog for me, unfortunately last year, as I was next on their list they had to shut down because of COVID and the loss of donations. This has put me in an awkward position to either try to find another charity and wait 2-3 more years, or raise money myself and work with a specialized trainer in order to have a service dog by the end of this year. With my health on the line, I decided I can not wait any longer.
Having this service dog would allow me to live on my own again, without fear that something awful could happen when no one else is around and able to help me. I can continue with volunteer work, and my desire it to train the dog as a therapy dog as well, that way I would be able to bring him to UC Davis Children's Hospital to visit the kids and comfort them when they're ill, especially the kids who have epilepsy themselves. Thank you for helping me, words can't describe my gratitude. Eric
Dog Breeder: Marble Mountain Kennels mmkennels.com
$2700 for 1st pick of litter, if it is a chocolate female. OR
$2200 for 1st pick, if it is a black male.
$1100 for 6 weeks of beginner training ('super citizens' training), $225/week if they need to train the puppy for an extra week or two.
$200 to deliver the puppy to Sacramento.
- rough total; $5,000 +tax
Trainer: Follow My Lead Dog Training cafollowmylead.com
$4,800 for 12 months of training ($399 for a 3-session package, 3 weeks/mo) +tax
(Jennifer, the trainer said its better to plan for a lot of training, and hope for less. Could potentially be 18-24months)
Veterinary Services: VCA Animal Hospital vcahospitals.com
Veterinary Examination, $70
Vaccinations, 5 separate vaccines $43/ea
Spaying, $150 for bloodwork and upward of $500 for the surgery.
Microchipping, $45
Worm-medication, $30 1st test & $88ea for 3 prescriptions.
- rough total; $1,266 +tax
GRAND TOTAL $12,000
Organizer and beneficiary
Tammi Lasater
Organizer
Folsom, CA
Eric Van Tricht
Beneficiary