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Hi, My name is Diane, I am starting this campaign to help my daughter, Nicole, get a Service Dog. She was born with quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. Doctors' once told us that Nicole would never walk, talk, sit up or have a very high IQ. She has surpassed all of these goals, except for walking independently.
As a family, we have contemplated getting Nicole a service dog for years and in fact have inquired from a few agencies. We want Nicole to live as independently as possible. In January of 2017, Nicole had a health scare where her Baclofen Pump malfunctioned (this pump allows her to live with less spasticity. Her life was actually at risk at one point. The silver lining of this situation is that Nicole has started to take steps with a walker again. This is where the service dog comes in. She is starting to become the Nicole that she used to be, wanting to do anything and everything. A service dog will help her with retrieving items, pulling the wheelchair up hills and 80 plus other commands. We have found an agency that is close to us, but the cost of the service dog is $25,000 plus our expenses and travel. My husband Dom and I have always done our best to provide whatever Nicole needed, but $30,000 in one lump sum is just beyond our means. Nicole's physical therapist, doctors and other medical professionals have all recommended that this is the perfect time for her to persue her service dog.
Nicole has tirelessly given her efforts to raising disability awareness at ymca's, schools, churches, colleges, etc. I may be biased, but I am hoping that people will realize that Nicole has done so much for others, that it is time that they rally around her for something that she dreams of....Independence. I understand that everyone has their own financial committments and burdens, so no amount is too small and you would be helping my daughter attain something that most people take for granted, the ability to live on her own with the help of four paws. With love and hopefullness the Johnson and Tarzia families. Thank you for taking the time to read this and your concideration.
As a family, we have contemplated getting Nicole a service dog for years and in fact have inquired from a few agencies. We want Nicole to live as independently as possible. In January of 2017, Nicole had a health scare where her Baclofen Pump malfunctioned (this pump allows her to live with less spasticity. Her life was actually at risk at one point. The silver lining of this situation is that Nicole has started to take steps with a walker again. This is where the service dog comes in. She is starting to become the Nicole that she used to be, wanting to do anything and everything. A service dog will help her with retrieving items, pulling the wheelchair up hills and 80 plus other commands. We have found an agency that is close to us, but the cost of the service dog is $25,000 plus our expenses and travel. My husband Dom and I have always done our best to provide whatever Nicole needed, but $30,000 in one lump sum is just beyond our means. Nicole's physical therapist, doctors and other medical professionals have all recommended that this is the perfect time for her to persue her service dog.
Nicole has tirelessly given her efforts to raising disability awareness at ymca's, schools, churches, colleges, etc. I may be biased, but I am hoping that people will realize that Nicole has done so much for others, that it is time that they rally around her for something that she dreams of....Independence. I understand that everyone has their own financial committments and burdens, so no amount is too small and you would be helping my daughter attain something that most people take for granted, the ability to live on her own with the help of four paws. With love and hopefullness the Johnson and Tarzia families. Thank you for taking the time to read this and your concideration.