Traumatic Brain Injury Survivor Needs Our Help

Hi, My name is Alan Vaillancourt, and I am raising funds to help a childhood friend of my son that has suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury and who needs a  replacement neurological service dog. His name is Greg Costa. Below expresses the needed funding, the tragedy that befell Greg and the ongoing work he does to help other TBI survivors. Greg has a strong belief in God and, since becoming a TBI victim has taken on the mission of helping other TBI survivors and their families cope with this silent epidemic. Having another service dog like Grace (pictured) is integral to him being able to continue his mission.
 
gregcosta.net , handlewithlovetbi.com 

Need funding of $18,000 for a replacement Neurological Service Dog.

Hello everyone.  . My name is Greg Costa. I am a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Survivor.  I am desperately in need of funding to obtain a neurological service dog to be able to continue to function in my daily life and continue to help other TBI survivors.  The pictures above are of my precious Grace who was my service dog. Grace was killed by a hit-and-run driver while I was walking with her on the leash in March of 2021. The police were never able to identify the driver to hold that person accountable. The vehicle came at us from behind and no witnesses came forward.

My father who was helping me as my advisor and financially helping me passed away four months before the hit and run that killed Grace. I am left with no financial ability to pay for another service dog such as Grace. These dogs are trained to assist people with neurological disorders such as my TBI. The high goal of these dogs is to keep individuals as independent as long as possible. Statistically, once a service dog is placed, the individual can stay out of assisted living (nursing homes).  Being able to stay out of such facilities longer and with greater independence is priceless to someone like me. If you wonder why these special service dogs cost so much and what special training these dogs get, here is a table to give you an idea. Service dogs offer companionship, decrease isolation and improve physical mobility. Other symptom management includes:

 

Symptom
Service Dog Response
Cognitive (poor decision making, environmental safety issues)
Alert to hazards, alert to the owner leaving home, alert to night awakenings
Perceptual (decrease function of five senses, decrease balance)
Guide on stairs, balance, assist with rising and sitting
Physical (headaches, fatigue, tremors, decrease sleep)
Snuggle, lean, deep pressure
Emotional/Behavioural (irritability, mood swings, aggression)
Snuggle, touch, companionship, increase independence, distraction
 

Each dog also receives further training for the specific disorders and behaviors of the owner that will have the dog and will require action on the part of the dog.  For example, Grace would “paw” me out of PTSD stares that I sometimes become locked into.

Future Funding.

I would like you to know that I have no intention of sitting around and going about a simple ordinary daily life when I get back the dog I need.  

I have lofty goals and I was already pursuing them before all this recent devastation struck my life.  In short, the high goals I have been owrking on are:

Helping and protecting others with TBI and educating the world about TBI, a worldwide silent epidemic.

Speaking on and promoting TBI awareness to save lives of brain injury survivors around the world and facilitate TBI survivors' safety...and to give TBI survivors a voice when they cannot speak with a special TBI ID card.
 
Provide encouragement to survivors, caretakers, family, friends and doctors in taking action to create a safe zone and a support team to help with the best path to recovery.
 
Provide unique, face-to-face services to meet the needs of brain injury survivors by enabling survivors to be a part of a movement, have a purpose, and generate funds for themselves by selling products. This is imperative because the financial strain put on a family never goes away. There is NO "END" at the End of Recovery for us. It is an ongoing process.

MORE TO COME…..