Service Dog for Ray Cordell

Ray Cordell was born with congenital cataracts, which required him to have two eye surgeries at 4 and 5 months old. He is legally blind and also has a condition called Nystagmus, which causes involuntary eye movement. At 3 years old, Ray was also diagnosed with Autism. Now 5 years old, Ray has made much progress with his autism through special schools and his parents' tireless efforts; however, he has begun darting away from his parents and teachers, which obviously is very dangerous. Ray also does what is called "stimming", which is repetitious movements or sounds, and is common with autistic persons. Vocal stims are harmful to his vocal chords, and are completely unproductive. They distract him from productive activities, like playing or learning. It is for these last two issues that Ray is in great need of a service dog. The dog can be trained to stop Ray from running into danger, and also to lay on him when he "stims" to calm and sooth him. As Ray ages, a service animal will help him be more independent with travel and performing simple tasks, so that we can hopefully reach our goal of Ray living a full and independent life.

Thank you for reading about Ray, and considering a donation of any amount to his Go Fund Me Campaign. He needs at least $15,000 to get a professionally trained dog, and his parents and family are committed to giving all the support we can. God bless...