Help Our Sweet Girl Get a Seizure Alert Service Dog

Hi, my name is Haley ,and I’m writing this as a mama with a hopeful but heavy heart.

Our daughter has been having focal seizures since she was about 6 months old — though at the time, we didn’t know what they were. She would suddenly get “stuck.” As she learned to walk, these episodes became more noticeable and more frightening. After them, she would struggle for 30–45 minutes: unable to walk well, unable to stand at times, clearly exhausted and confused. We were scared and completely clueless about what was happening to our baby.

Everything changed in September when, at just 13 months old, she had a febrile seizure — the scariest moment of my life as a mom. A trip to the ER led us to pediatric neurology, and from there, the long, anxiety-filled waiting began.

In December, we finally saw a pediatric neurologist who recommended a 1-hour EEG as our first step. If you’ve ever tried to keep a 15-month-old still, you know how impossible that is. Our brave girl made it 21 minutes before the nurses and we made the decision to stop.

After follow-up, the neurologist recommended a 24-hour video EEG with medication to help her stay calm during lead placement. Once the leads were placed, we were confined to a small room, waiting and praying for answers — watching and hoping for some kind of episode or sign.

When the study was complete, our neurologist reviewed the results with us. What we once thought were “normal toddler behaviors” turned out to be concerning neurological events. What made this even harder was learning that there is no clear pattern and no clear cause. We don’t know if she will grow out of this… or grow into it. All we know is that it’s happening, and a 24-hour study can only tell us so much.

That’s when we asked about a seizure alert/service dog.

To our surprise — and relief — our neurologist told us this could be one of the best tools for our daughter. A service dog could potentially help detect or alert to seizures, help us identify patterns, and most importantly, help keep our little girl safe.

As parents, we want to give our children the world. We want to put every possible tool in their hands to help them thrive.

Unfortunately, the cost of a service dog is overwhelming. Training, boarding, grooming, veterinary care, and specialized seizure-alert training can total $20,000–$30,000. On top of that, many trainers wouldn’t even consider working with us because they felt she was “too young.” But we refused to take no for an answer.

After countless prayers, endless research, and one 45-minute phone call, we found a trainer who is willing to work with us — and whose services are half the cost of the large organizations that turned us away.

So here we are, humbly asking.

If you find it in your heart to help us give our sweet girl the support and protection she deserves, we would be forever grateful. If you’re unable to donate, we completely understand — and we ask that you please keep our daughter and our family in your prayers as we navigate this uncertain journey.

Thank you for reading, for sharing, for praying, and for loving our baby alongside us.