Kai's Medical Assistance Dog

We are raising funds for our son Kai to get an assistance dog. Kai suffers a rare genetic condition called Mecp2 Duplication Syndrome. This is a progressive Neurological disorder, which means his condition worsens over time. Kai recently started having seizures and within a short time the seizures have already gotten worse. Kai's health has also been declining and he has had an increased amount of hospital visits again recently. Kai defied the odds and started walking when he was 3 1/2 years old, however now that Kai is 7 he is starting to require more assistance getting around as his weight is begining to take a toll on his already weakened joints. 
We were devestated to discover this will also mean we will eventually lose Kai to this awful condition. Every sickness he gets and every hospital admission puts us on high alert for what is to come. Having an assistance dog by Kai's side through all of the hospital stays would be so uplifting for Kai and for us during these dreadful times. There is evidence that proves having an assitance dog can lower anxiety levels.

An assistance dog would really change Kai's quality of life, it would be a companion that could be with Kai at all times. Kai is a very quiet little boy as he is non verbal, he is a kind and gentle child. At school this has become a challenge as when Kai is hurt or can't help himself out of trouble (e.g: getting hurt by another child) he cannot be easily detected by a teacher or an assistant. He attends a special needs school and often needs to be kept in smaller and isolated groups in order to protect him. Kai also doesn't have a strong concept of danger and doesn't understand consequence, so he needs to be watched constantly. An assitance dog would offer Kai more oppurtunities socially and give Kai further access to social situations that currently put him at risk. The assistance dog would also be trained to pick up on signs of seizures, this would better alert us and aide Kai when he is in trouble. At nights I currently sleep next to Kai to detect whether he has seizures or to turn him when he stops breathing due to apneoa, an assistance dog would also provide relief during this time as well, as the dog would sleep with Kai and alert me when needed.

Smart Pups in Queensland (link attached for more info) has offered us an assistance dog for Kai. However training and funding for the assistance dog is expensive and we can't afford to do this on our own. Please consider donating and sharing this page around your network of friends and family.
An assistance dog would really change Kai's life and our lives. It would be great if you could be a part of helping this dream come true for our little boy.

https://www.smartpups.org.au/