Lauryn's Seizure Dog

For most of you that know me, you know that I live a pretty crazy life. You know me as an accident prone adrenaline junkie who will climb any rock or tree in her path or trip over her shoe lace... even when she's wearing flip flops... Yup that's me! You may also know that I am an epileptic... and an uncontrolled epileptic. I have lived with this condition for many years and it wasn't until this past year since I have lived in Denver that I have actually begun to grasp what it means to live as an epileptic and that I can actually lead a fully functional life and be my own person. I have let my disability consume my life for so many years...Well that's all changing! I am taking control of my life. With a great team of epileptologists and neurologists I am finally learning how to live my life! For many years people have always said to me, "Lauryn, you should get a seizure dog. It would be SO great for you!" Well it has been my thought for a couple years as well, but my doctors think that it would really benefit in my treatment plan. After a couple stays in an epilepsy monitoring unit at University of Colorado Hospital, I was diagnosed with both epileptic and non epileptic seizures, which means that there are events where my body is taking past trauma or current stress and transforming those events into seizures. It's my body's way of dealing with those things. They are still very real seizures. I still fall, get disoriented, and even go unconscious. There is just no electrical activity going on in my brain during those events. The only way to get those under control is to keep going through counseling, which I am doing on a weekly basis to be treated for PTSD and major depression. On the other hand, I still have epilepsy as well, which can only be treated through medication. Talking with my epileptologist about the idea of a seizure response dog, she felt it would be very beneficial in both aspects of my disability. It could help to reduce current stress as well as keep me safe during and after a seizure. Incase you don't know what all a seizure response dog would do here are just a few things: They are trained to retrieve things such as my medications or my phone when needed, alert another person or press an emergency response button in the event of a seizure, lay between me and any objects that may hurt me during a seizure, lick my hands or face to stimulate me back to consciousness after a seizure, some are even trained in deep pressure stimulation to bring someone out of a seizure. The thing is because of the training they go through, the shots, transportation for delivery, and other factors that go into the care of these dogs, they are very expensive. There are some non-profit organizations that help with the training and the organization that I have found actually covers over $8000 in training costs, but I still have to raise close to $14000 for a seizure response dog. If you know me, than you know that asking for help is not something that I do very often, but I am asking for your help now. Help me to keep moving forward in becoming more independent and in control of my life! Take time to think and pray about giving to this cause. I can't do this without you. If you could share this on your Facebook or twitter accounts. This would be a huge step forward for me. Please, help me take this step!