Help Fund a Service Animal for Two Amazing Kids
Hello there, my name is Cora and I'm asking for help to raise money for a service animal on behalf of my sister's wonderful boys. Their parents Brittney and Michael were married in 2014 and Michael was quickly able to adopt her son. They started fostering children shortly after and eventually were able to adopt their youngest son in 2018. As the needs of their two boys continued to grow they stopped fostering, but still established a support system for foster parents in their area all through their own expenses. Their community service is on top of the day-to-day efforts for their boys. They homeschool, drive to multiple specialists per week over an hour away, wake nightly for tube feedings, attend therapy sessions and provide emotional regulation sessions throughout each day.
A bit more about the boys: Their oldest son is a creative, caring and incredibly hard working thirteen-year-old. He loves baking, animals and saves money from mowing lawns to bike every spring to pick out flowers for his garden. He also suffers from PTSD, anxiety and depression. He's in therapy and doing incredibly difficult emotional work to process his emotional disabilities. His younger brother is a very active, curious and comedic six-year-old. He loves legos, art, dressing up and Disney's The Haunted Mansion. He has a genetic disorder called 22q11.2 duplication, because of this he tube feeds, has a hearing aid, has emotional, intellectual and motor delays and will need glasses in the next couple of years. He also was a victim of neglect causing Emotional Detachment Disorder. A service animal would be life alternating for these amazing kids. It would help reduce anxiety, increase serotonin levels, provide decompression for sensory processing and help in creating emotional attachment. It would also provide physical safety for their youngest son's elopement risk in and out of the home.
The expense of a fully trained service animal is between $30,000 and $80,000 which is completely out of their financial ability. Instead, they've found a golden retriever puppy and local service animal trainers to greatly help cut down costs to only $10,000. I can't say enough about the generosity and fiscal responsibility of Brittney and Michael. They're putting off vacations, spending their weekends building modifications on their home and property, and picking up part-time work to be able to provide the best life for their boys. They've never asked for financial assistance before, and in fact, the only reason this page has been set up is through my strong arming as the bossy, older sister. Any assistance would make an incredible difference. Thank you for reading and for your help.
Note: In interest of their privacy, I have omitted my nephew's names.
