
Life Saving Seizure Dog for Matt
Donation protected
Matt is a 17-year old senior in high school. He has been battling Epilepsy since the age of 6; suffering from two types of seizures: Absence and Tonic-Clonic.
Absence seizures are brief, sudden lapses of consciousness, often mistaken for daydreaming, that can last anywhere from 3 to 20 seconds. During Absence seizures, Matt is unable to process what is going on around him, as if a pause button has been pushed, and then picks up where he left off afterward. Clusters of these seizures tax his brain and can sometimes lead to tonic-clonic seizures. He endures Absence seizures up to 25 times each day.
Tonic-Clonic (T/C) seizures involve a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions; lasting approximately 3 minutes. In the tonic phase, Matt becomes rigid, his teeth clench, he stops breathing and turns blue, and saliva often drips from his mouth. In the clonic phase, his arms and legs jerk quickly and rhythmically. At the end of this phase, he finally relaxes and may lose control of his bladder. After the seizure is over, Matt regains consciousness slowly. He is sleepy, confused, and anxious. He often will have a headache. It can take anywhere from an hour to a full day before Matt is back to normal. Matt experiences a T/C seizure every 2 weeks, on average.
Life hasn’t been easy for Matt or his family. He has been on over 10 different anti-seizure medications, including CBD oil, and has been on a very restrictive ketogenic diet, in attempts to reduce his seizure frequency. Unfortunately, despite all these efforts, his seizures remain uncontrolled. The hundreds of seizures Matt has endured, and the medications he takes on a daily basis, have caused debilitating side effects, including brain damage, cognitive problems (thinking, remembering, paying attention/concentrating, finding the right words, etc…), fatigue, and anxiety/depression.
He is at increased risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy Patients (SUDEP) due to his type of seizures, inability to have seizures controlled with medications, and night-time seizure activity. Each year 1 in 1,000 people living with Epilepsy die from SUDEP. Matt’s risk is 1 in 150. That’s seven times more of a risk than typical Epilepsy patients. Those odds keep his parents up at night, and make them jump at every loud noise and unusual sound. An assistance dog sleeping on the floor next to Matt’s bed would immediately know when a seizure starts, and would alert Matt’s parents and siblings.
Matt will graduate from high school in May 2021. Normally a time when young adults venture out on their own to attend college, work, or join the military, Matt’s future is somewhat uncertain. Things that other people his age take for granted are beyond his reach: taking a walk by himself, being home alone for short periods of time, driving a car, holding down a job, etc… He has no independence. Constant supervision is necessary in case a seizure happens. It is difficult to employ an individual who cannot be left alone. An assistance dog would provide that supervision and enable Matt to do his job with confidence.
Matt has so much to offer the world. He is the most caring, loving, positive young man you’ll ever meet. We need to help him gain some independence and improve his quality of life. A SEIZURE ASSISTANCE DOG would do that. An assistance dog would be Matt’s constant companion and life-line. When he has a seizure, the dog would be trained to remain at his side, protect him from injury and bark/alert others to come render first aid. If a seizure occurs without anyone around, the dog would be trained to stimulate Matt by making noises, nudging and licking him to get him breathing again and wake him up. A Seizure Assistance Dog could SAVE MATT’S LIFE.
Matt will need a number of seizure response dogs throughout his life to maintain some level of independence and give him the confidence to experience life. Assistance dogs only work for a certain number of years before being “retired” as pets. These dogs are not cheap. Each one can cost upwards of $35,000 because of the intensive training needed over 2+ years to become properly trained. Another, much less expensive option, is to find a dog that has been trained as a hunting dog, but for one reason or another did not pan out. For example, some hunting dogs become gun shy and never become fully trained. But these dogs CAN be successful as a seizure response dog. We are currently working with an excellent dog trainer who is reaching out far and wide to find such a dog for Matt. Finding a young adult dog like this would shorten the training time needed and lower the overall cost.
Besides training, there are additional expenses associated with assistance dogs, such as registering each one with American Kennel Club (AKC), becoming certified as Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and Urban Canine Good Citizen (UCGC), public access vaccinations, assistance dog vests and patches, etc…
An account has been set up to be used solely for seizure response dog training, supplies, and related expenses. Our initial goal is $50,000, but it will cost much more than this to provide assistance dogs for Matt's entire lifetime.
Imagine what Matt's life is like now, and then imagine how much independence, confidence and happiness a seizure response dog would bring to him and his family. If you are not comfortable making an online donation but would still like to contribute, you can contact the fundraiser organizer, Randy Backhaus, by clicking on CONTACT and obtain an address to mail your donation to. You can also give your donation directly to Pat or Sherri Schlies, or Becky Whitton. Please make checks payable to Matt's mother, Sherri Schlies. You can also donate at area businesses... just look for the red coffee can with Matt's picture on it.
Absence seizures are brief, sudden lapses of consciousness, often mistaken for daydreaming, that can last anywhere from 3 to 20 seconds. During Absence seizures, Matt is unable to process what is going on around him, as if a pause button has been pushed, and then picks up where he left off afterward. Clusters of these seizures tax his brain and can sometimes lead to tonic-clonic seizures. He endures Absence seizures up to 25 times each day.
Tonic-Clonic (T/C) seizures involve a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions; lasting approximately 3 minutes. In the tonic phase, Matt becomes rigid, his teeth clench, he stops breathing and turns blue, and saliva often drips from his mouth. In the clonic phase, his arms and legs jerk quickly and rhythmically. At the end of this phase, he finally relaxes and may lose control of his bladder. After the seizure is over, Matt regains consciousness slowly. He is sleepy, confused, and anxious. He often will have a headache. It can take anywhere from an hour to a full day before Matt is back to normal. Matt experiences a T/C seizure every 2 weeks, on average.
Life hasn’t been easy for Matt or his family. He has been on over 10 different anti-seizure medications, including CBD oil, and has been on a very restrictive ketogenic diet, in attempts to reduce his seizure frequency. Unfortunately, despite all these efforts, his seizures remain uncontrolled. The hundreds of seizures Matt has endured, and the medications he takes on a daily basis, have caused debilitating side effects, including brain damage, cognitive problems (thinking, remembering, paying attention/concentrating, finding the right words, etc…), fatigue, and anxiety/depression.
He is at increased risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy Patients (SUDEP) due to his type of seizures, inability to have seizures controlled with medications, and night-time seizure activity. Each year 1 in 1,000 people living with Epilepsy die from SUDEP. Matt’s risk is 1 in 150. That’s seven times more of a risk than typical Epilepsy patients. Those odds keep his parents up at night, and make them jump at every loud noise and unusual sound. An assistance dog sleeping on the floor next to Matt’s bed would immediately know when a seizure starts, and would alert Matt’s parents and siblings.
Matt will graduate from high school in May 2021. Normally a time when young adults venture out on their own to attend college, work, or join the military, Matt’s future is somewhat uncertain. Things that other people his age take for granted are beyond his reach: taking a walk by himself, being home alone for short periods of time, driving a car, holding down a job, etc… He has no independence. Constant supervision is necessary in case a seizure happens. It is difficult to employ an individual who cannot be left alone. An assistance dog would provide that supervision and enable Matt to do his job with confidence.
Matt has so much to offer the world. He is the most caring, loving, positive young man you’ll ever meet. We need to help him gain some independence and improve his quality of life. A SEIZURE ASSISTANCE DOG would do that. An assistance dog would be Matt’s constant companion and life-line. When he has a seizure, the dog would be trained to remain at his side, protect him from injury and bark/alert others to come render first aid. If a seizure occurs without anyone around, the dog would be trained to stimulate Matt by making noises, nudging and licking him to get him breathing again and wake him up. A Seizure Assistance Dog could SAVE MATT’S LIFE.
Matt will need a number of seizure response dogs throughout his life to maintain some level of independence and give him the confidence to experience life. Assistance dogs only work for a certain number of years before being “retired” as pets. These dogs are not cheap. Each one can cost upwards of $35,000 because of the intensive training needed over 2+ years to become properly trained. Another, much less expensive option, is to find a dog that has been trained as a hunting dog, but for one reason or another did not pan out. For example, some hunting dogs become gun shy and never become fully trained. But these dogs CAN be successful as a seizure response dog. We are currently working with an excellent dog trainer who is reaching out far and wide to find such a dog for Matt. Finding a young adult dog like this would shorten the training time needed and lower the overall cost.
Besides training, there are additional expenses associated with assistance dogs, such as registering each one with American Kennel Club (AKC), becoming certified as Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and Urban Canine Good Citizen (UCGC), public access vaccinations, assistance dog vests and patches, etc…
An account has been set up to be used solely for seizure response dog training, supplies, and related expenses. Our initial goal is $50,000, but it will cost much more than this to provide assistance dogs for Matt's entire lifetime.
Imagine what Matt's life is like now, and then imagine how much independence, confidence and happiness a seizure response dog would bring to him and his family. If you are not comfortable making an online donation but would still like to contribute, you can contact the fundraiser organizer, Randy Backhaus, by clicking on CONTACT and obtain an address to mail your donation to. You can also give your donation directly to Pat or Sherri Schlies, or Becky Whitton. Please make checks payable to Matt's mother, Sherri Schlies. You can also donate at area businesses... just look for the red coffee can with Matt's picture on it.
Organizer and beneficiary
Randy Backhaus
Organizer
Wausaukee, WI
Sherri Schlies
Beneficiary