Our son Finley is 3 years old and has severe, medication-resistant epilepsy. Every day is a fight to keep him safe and to search for answers. We’re raising funds to help with ongoing medical costs related to his care and safety, including a seizure alert dog & week-long training trip to Xenia, OH. We need 1:1 coverage for Finley, which means paying out of pocket for babysitters ($22-28/hr. for babysitters comfortable with Finley's level of care) whenever Mom or Dad are working, or family cannot help, or when our nursing staff quits unexpectedly and without notice, calls in sick for a week+, or cannot provide consistent coverage, all of which we've experienced in the last month. We’re also seeking supportive therapies like chiropractic care, therapy for both mom and dad, and adaptive equipment such as a special bath chair, adaptive play chair to help support a seated position and shoes to fit over his leg braces. We are investing money in continued and advanced genetic and supportive testing to catch any abnormalities early, which can be the difference in a seizure-free or 100+ seizure day for Finley. We need updated cameras and technology to monitor his heart rate, oxygen, and movement, so we can catch seizures during sleep and respond to emergencies. We are hoping to upgrade his Owlet to an approved monitor or watch. Padded mats and other injury prevention tools are also needed to protect Finley from sudden, forceful falls.

We’ve started the process of getting Finley a trained seizure dog from 4 Paws for Ability. We understand we’ll be responsible for around $20k of the $40k cost for the dog. As we get closer, we will also need to fly to Xenia, OH and stay for a week to complete the last portion of the dog’s training. We hope to continue to provide Finley with all the supports and therapies necessary to live his best life.

This journey has changed every part of our lives. We long for the simple joys of raising a busy toddler—hearing Finley mispronounce “delicious,” reminding him to be gentle with his little brother, listening to his made-up stories at bedtime, or watching him chase his dog in the backyard. Instead, Finley has lost his speech and can barely walk. Each day, the threat of a seizure at anytime, brings sadness for what we’re losing, and for the milestones we may never reach. We are desperate for a reason, a lasting treatment, and a cure. He experienced a regression in March of this year and is currently operating around a 15-month old, in terms of his development.

We’ve exhausted our funds and I’ve nearly stopped working to care for Finley full time. Will has used all his leave, and we worry about him missing more work and risking his job - Verizon laid of 14K employees recently. We need help—extra hands, extra funds—so we can focus on getting Finley the best care, keeping him safe, and fighting for his life. Your support would mean the world to us and could change Finley’s future.

Current needs updated as of 12/2/2025:

Finley (healing from a black eye from a fall) & his 9-month old brother, Bryer.

Once we raise the funds, we will be officially placed in line to receive a seizure alert service dog. Finley's dog will likely be a golden retriever or a lab.

Finley attends anywhere from 3 to 8 outside appointments each week, with EEGs every few months which range from 1 hour appointments to 3-4 day stays at the Duke Hospital Epilepsy Monitoring Unit.

Because Finley's cause of epilepsy is unknown, and neither his dad nor mom have seizures, it is important to monitor Bryer for the first sign of any seizure activity. He also gets 4+ hour EEGs (to include a sleeping time) every 2-3 months. Thankfully, his EEGs have been clear so far - Finley's seizures began around age 14 months.