Help Galilaia Gain Independence with a Service Dog

Hello, thank you for viewing this page. The purpose of this fundraiser is to help raise the funds for me, Galilaia, to get a seizure service dog. I have a good scholarship to a good college, and I want to get my degree and become a school counselor to help other children. But I have both epileptic and non-epileptic seizures and would need the help of a seizure service dog to go off to college on my own and be independent and safe.

I had a lot of trauma growing up, and the trauma still affects me in many ways. One being non-epileptic seizures where my brain copies what happens during a regular seizure as a response to the trauma. It leaves me trapped in my own body while I twitch, jolt, and screech against my will and am unable to talk. I would sometimes be on cold, hard tiles, my head hitting the hard floor, or I would fall to the ground. Once, I had one of these seizures while holding a pencil, and my arm flailing made me stab myself with it. I had family in the house but couldn’t call for help. If I had a seizure dog, they could’ve brought someone sooner and removed the pencil from my hand.

It's not just the physical aspects. The experience can be quite scary, on the floor shaking as your classmates look at you, some worry, and some wonder what the heck you are doing, and you can't explain. Sometimes others are too helpful and would act like my nurse, and it makes me feel pathetic. The seizures also take away my independence. I’m 18 but still really depend on my parents, and it's not a nice feeling. I just wish to go for a bike ride, to an event, or go to college without others worrying about it being too much for me. With a seizure dog, my loved ones wouldn’t need to worry as much, and I can pursue my dreams and freedom. If I do have one while out, I won't be alone, scared, and helpless. A seizure dog would cuddle up to me, helping me come out of the seizure with its warmth and contact, or go get help in the event I cannot come out of the seizure on my own.

Our goal is $15,000 for the upfront cost of the seizure dog, not including vet bills, dog food, or care. To many people, this is another fundraiser asking for money and sympathy, but to me, this is my independence, safety, and security. To me and my loved ones, it is a chance that I will have a good future as I live on my own and go to classes. It will give me less to worry about and less to distract me from my education. A seizure service dog will help long after I graduate too. I can safely work like others and be independent.

Please donate to (link), and if you can’t donate, then sharing it with others online or offline will still be of great help. We greatly appreciate all we can get. I will keep updates for everyone at (social media link). You can follow me and the seizure dog as we go off to school and keep track of both of our progress.

Thank you so much, this all means so much to me, and your generosity warms my heart!