Help Hayden with Assistance for a Service Dog

Hello I am Hayden's uncle Doug. We are raising funds to assist in Hayden getting a service dog for her medical condition.

On June 26th, 2023 Hayden woke up and went about her day like a normal teenager. This day would turn out to be anything but normal. While driving to cheerleading practice, Hayden suffered a seizure. This was completely out of the blue and blindsided the family.

Hayden was taken to the hospital to see what could be the cause of the siezure. After multiple doctor visits, and testing of her brain Hayden was diagnosed with epilepsy. Pretty scary news for a young lady. She has led a normal seizure free life up until this point, but now there is a new normal that Hayden is having to adjust to.

The young energetic Hayden that we all know, was now having to take on a medical condition that will effect her throughout her entire life. Hayden enjoys being very active. She has been a varsity cheerleader since her freshman year. She loves working out and doing crossfit. She is on her school's track and field team, excelling at events such as pole vaulting and running. A very active student athlete now has

taken a backseat to her health, her biggest challenge yet.

In the four months since being diagnosed Hayden has had nine seizures. Each one being just as scary as next. They have come without warning. In the car riding to school, at home just hanging out, and some of the scariest, while she sleeps at night. Tests are still being conducted to help understand the condition but the triggers are still unknown. She currently can not be left alone. There have been two instances that Hayden has had a seizure during the night / morning where she was found on the floor, with no real knowledge of how she got there. This would be frightening to anyone.

There are not many ways to warn others of a seizure coming on, and they are completely helpless once triggered. After reseach and reaching out to the epileptic community, the family discovered that the use of a service dog can aid in alerting others of when a seizure is being had. It can give a peace of mind to the family that the loved one is being watched in their most vulnerable time.

We are raising funds to purchase a service dog for Hayden. There will be extensive training and bonding needed for the service dog to protect Hayden. The dog and the training itself is not covered by insurance. Obtaining a dog and the training is costly and not many families are prepared for something like this. This will be the companion she needs to be on her own when she becomes a young adult. We are asking family and friends if they can donate anything towards this cause. Let's come together and try to get Hayden back on a path of normalcy in her teenage high-school years and beyond.