A service dog for Sophie
Donation protected
we are fundraising for a service dog for our amazing daughter Sophie. Sophie is Autistic, and was already on the waiting list for a service dog due to her lack of danger awareness. She used to run all day everyday! Roads and car parks were a problem. She was a constant ball of energy, always bouncing, whether that be on her trampoline or my couch!
But then in July 2017 Sophie was struck down with an illness called Autoimmune Encephalitis. This illness is inflammation in the brain, and hers was due to her immune system attacking itself. This illness can effect anybody. It has no preference to whether you are male, female, adult, child, Autistic, or not. This horrible illness has taken so much from our baby, but probally the hardest pill to swallow for us has been the fact that Sophie can no longer walk.
We do not yet know if Sophie will ever walk again, although we will never give up hope or give up trying! Being in a wheelchair has left an already anxious child completely distraught. Sophie works hard every day to accept her new life, but going out and about for a child that already had difficulties due to her sensory needs, poor impulse control, and very poor emotional regulation, is now magnified by the fact that she is in a big metal chair.
Sophie hates that she no longer has the freedom to run and bounce, she hates that everyone has to do everything for her, she hates when people stare, and she hates most of all that a wheelchair massively restricts her childhood! playgrounds, theme park rides, beach walks, and trampoling are no longer accessible.
Sophie's new life includes alot of hospital appointments. Anybody who knows us and knows Sophie, knows that she already spent 19 months in hospital as an inpatient and now hates going back there, because it causes her to have anxiety attacks! A service dog will help her to feel safe at her hospital appointments. A service dog will distract her when shes feeling exposed. A dog will help to keep her calm and relaxed when out and about. But most of all a service dog will provide a sense of stability and reassurance. Those trips to the shops, the hospital, the dentist, or doctor, wont be as scary as they were before knowing that she has her fur baby to protect her and stand beside her.
It costs a considerable amount of money to raise and train a dog to a service dog level, but for children like Sophie its the difference between a life half lived and a life lived to her full potential! So we are asking anybody who can to donate anything, even if it's only a euro. Everything adds up. We are so grateful as a family if you even took the time to read this far, and if you cant donate please share this page so that we can reach our goal to give our daughter a four legged friend to help her back on her own two.
But then in July 2017 Sophie was struck down with an illness called Autoimmune Encephalitis. This illness is inflammation in the brain, and hers was due to her immune system attacking itself. This illness can effect anybody. It has no preference to whether you are male, female, adult, child, Autistic, or not. This horrible illness has taken so much from our baby, but probally the hardest pill to swallow for us has been the fact that Sophie can no longer walk.
We do not yet know if Sophie will ever walk again, although we will never give up hope or give up trying! Being in a wheelchair has left an already anxious child completely distraught. Sophie works hard every day to accept her new life, but going out and about for a child that already had difficulties due to her sensory needs, poor impulse control, and very poor emotional regulation, is now magnified by the fact that she is in a big metal chair.
Sophie hates that she no longer has the freedom to run and bounce, she hates that everyone has to do everything for her, she hates when people stare, and she hates most of all that a wheelchair massively restricts her childhood! playgrounds, theme park rides, beach walks, and trampoling are no longer accessible.
Sophie's new life includes alot of hospital appointments. Anybody who knows us and knows Sophie, knows that she already spent 19 months in hospital as an inpatient and now hates going back there, because it causes her to have anxiety attacks! A service dog will help her to feel safe at her hospital appointments. A service dog will distract her when shes feeling exposed. A dog will help to keep her calm and relaxed when out and about. But most of all a service dog will provide a sense of stability and reassurance. Those trips to the shops, the hospital, the dentist, or doctor, wont be as scary as they were before knowing that she has her fur baby to protect her and stand beside her.
It costs a considerable amount of money to raise and train a dog to a service dog level, but for children like Sophie its the difference between a life half lived and a life lived to her full potential! So we are asking anybody who can to donate anything, even if it's only a euro. Everything adds up. We are so grateful as a family if you even took the time to read this far, and if you cant donate please share this page so that we can reach our goal to give our daughter a four legged friend to help her back on her own two.
Organizer
Samantha Buckmaster
Organizer
