With Kambria's permission & upon family & friend requests, we are creating this campaign to help raise funds for a service dog for her. Kambria has multiple autoimmune diseases, two of which are confirmed as Morphea (a form of scleroderma) and Dysautonomia (suspected subtype as POTS). She has high markers for mixed connective tissue diseases & is being evaluated in the future for Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, along with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (these are unconfirmed & only suspected by in-house physicians from various hospital stays).

If you know her, you know she is an active ball of energy, who loves acrobatics & tumbling, singing, hanging out with friends & chasing after her baby sister & nephews. She has struggled with autoimmune flares since the age of 7, but recent developments have taken all of us by storm. She is now completely dependent on mobility aids, like canes or walkers, and nearly intolerant of any activity. She has frequent episodes in which her blood pressure plummets, heart rate skyrockets, O2 sats tank, and sometimes even her temperature. Quite a few of these episodes have landed us in the emergency room. Two of them have resulted in hospital admissions.

She craves more independence. A service dog would provide her that independence. She needs assistance with mobility, item retrieval, medical alerts, and other things. She has done her research, as have we, and she has determined that a standard-sized poodle would be the best breed to help her. She wishes to have the dog from weaning on & does not want a fully trained one, because she wants to bond with her dog & help teach it.

She has found several reputable breeders through a website that provides access to basic training (NOT service animal training) along with adoption fees. These puppies range in price from $1,000-2,500 I know that is a lot, I understand. This is the best breed of dog to assist her with mobility and it can even act as a walker (if needed) to keep her from falling, after being fully trained.

Training options that we have found range in costs. We have found a program that encompasses all the things she needs that is online from a very acclaimed trainer, Victoria Warfel. It is right at $1,000.

Another issue that we have is that none of these breeders exist right down the street. Travel to and from will be required to pick up the dog when she gets it. We also want to provide her with at least the first 6 months to a year of vet visits, vaccinations, and care, along with food, treats, and the like. All of the above info is why the total is set up as it is. We have her goal set at around 5,000.

Anything left over will go toward her Amazon list, getting new more accessible-friendly furniture, or other things that she needs. She works as well, but I would like it if she could put earned funds toward things that she wants, like a normal 16-year-old does.

Thank you for taking the time to read this & if you have time please share it.

Please consider sharing, sharing is free. If nothing else, we covet your prayers as our girl navigates this new normal!