Help Ollie get a service dog

I’m Ollie. I’m 8-years-old and I have a rare brain condition called Lissencephaly. Basically, my brain is almost totally smooth. The doctors said I’d be unable to learn anything. But it turns out, it’s just my body that doesn’t cooperate. I’m super smart, love traveling and studying the world, jazz/blues music, painting, writing poetry, the Avengers and I want to graduate from school and own my own floral design shop someday.

I also have seizures every day. I have sensory processing disorder, cortical visual impairment, a similar physical situation to cerebral palsy and have had so many surgeries and medical procedures I can’t list them all here. And with so many medical and social challenges, I deal with a lot of anxiety and sadness. I’m sure some of you can relate to that part.

It’s hard to make friends when you can’t talk on your own, you’re in a wheelchair and you look and act differently than everyone else. I don’t get invited to things other kids do and I feel trapped in my own body since my mom is the only one who can help me communicate so far.

A service dog would help me in many ways. My seizures are triggered by many things, often by feelings. Having a built-in best friend who doesn’t care that I can’t talk out loud yet or if I do something weird would give me confidence to enter a room full of “normal” kids and help me stay calm. Staying calm keeps seizures away, which keeps me safe and on less medication. It would keep my sensory overload down and prevent panic attacks from building. It also gives me what I want most—a friend who gets me and loves me just as I am.

I know this is a lot of money to spend on a dog. But this dog is coming with over a year of training to help my personal challenges and will be legally able to come with me most places as a medical assistant. And since I’m not-so-secretly Iron Man, I’m thinking that Jarvis is the perfect name for my new sidekick. What do you think?

Thank you for anything you can do to help my mom and dad with this expense. You all are officially on #TeamOllieandJarvis already.

If you’re curious about where I’m getting my dog, check out this Puppy Prep series they did with Buzzfeed!