Help Brittany SEIZE The Day
Donation protected
As luck would have it, I’m an epileptic!
Thanks to this marvelous gift that I have been given, I have been poked, prodded, drugged, denied sleep, had my favorite foods taken away from me, not to mention my driver’s license, and worst of all my privacy is no longer in exitance. Independence? Yeah, I used to have that, now I can’t even use the bathroom with the door locked. Which often makes me think, “Would I rather die drowning in my own bathtub, or have someone rush in to save my exposed self while surrounded by my favorite bubbles?” Tough call.
I’ve been diagnosed with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy, which in and of itself is not so rare. However, because I’ve always been an over-achiever, my brain decides to take things a step further. Somehow, when I start a new medicine, my body lashes out in pure protest. I become irritable, uncomfortable, and uneasy. My body aches, I get upset stomachs, my anxiety goes through the roof, and here’s the kicker—I usually lose my hair! ALL OF IT! Can you believe it? My hair!
But let’s talk a bit about my brain.
It does not like medicine. In fact, like a rare virus from the rainforest, it soon adapts to the medication, which soon becomes ineffective. Sometimes this change takes place over weeks, sometimes it’s months. In any case, I can’t rely on meds to keep me from bursting into a performance of improv breakdancing.
Why am I telling you this?
I’m craving my independence! Not like I want to disappear and live off the grid or anything like that, but I would love not having to depend on so many people all the time. I would love to go to the movies by myself, or heck, even to the grocery store! It would be nice to be able to send my family off to school and work, even after starting a new medication or having one wear off, and not worry about being alone. But let’s get straight to the heart of this: I want to lock my bathroom door!
I love my family, and they mean the world to me, but they have to sacrifice way too much to look out for me. They worry, lose sleep, and even stay home from work sometimes, just to make sure I am ok. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate all they do for me, but hate that I put so much stress on my family, and I’d love to lessen that stress if I can. But most of all, I really want to lock my bathroom door!
So, here’s the thing…
I could really benefit from having a seizure service dog. If you just spend five minutes on the internet reading about dogs that have been trained on how to protect their owners with epilepsy, you would understand, and quite possibly be amazed. These wonderful dogs watch over their owners while they are having a seizure and draw attention to get help. They protect their owners after seizures to make sure they are safe. They help reduce anxiety, which is a major trigger for epileptic seizures. Some dogs will place their bodies between their owner’s head and the ground just to protect them. Some of these wonderful amazing dogs can even predict a seizure, and in doing so, their owners are able to find a safe place and have the time to make calls for help. Some owners even feel comfortable enough to lock the bathroom door!
Watch how seizure dogs can’t help owners from hitting their head.
However, these dogs come with a price.
A well trained dog will cost thousands of dollars. Training these animals to do these amazing tasks is not cheap, and then there are the different breeds of dogs to consider. Research and experience from others have shown there are only a handful of breeds that are effective as seizure dogs, and for some odd reason they happen to be some of the most expensive breeds. Go figure.
So let me get to the point!
After doing my own research—and I mean A LOT of research—I’ve concluded that I would love to have a Belgian Malinois as a seizure service dog.
This is where I ask for your help.
The average price of a Belgian Malinois is $1500…if you’re lucky enough to find a breeder in your area.
Training for a seizure service dog starts at $2100 and goes up from there. Check Service Dog Pricing
Service dog pricing.
Testing and official registration, depending on which agency you go through is around $450.
And to have a dog licensed, spayed/neutered, and cover other incidentals is around $350.
Anything you can do to help me reach my goal of locking my bathroom door would be much appreciated!
Please help spread the word!
Thank you!
Thanks to this marvelous gift that I have been given, I have been poked, prodded, drugged, denied sleep, had my favorite foods taken away from me, not to mention my driver’s license, and worst of all my privacy is no longer in exitance. Independence? Yeah, I used to have that, now I can’t even use the bathroom with the door locked. Which often makes me think, “Would I rather die drowning in my own bathtub, or have someone rush in to save my exposed self while surrounded by my favorite bubbles?” Tough call.
I’ve been diagnosed with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy, which in and of itself is not so rare. However, because I’ve always been an over-achiever, my brain decides to take things a step further. Somehow, when I start a new medicine, my body lashes out in pure protest. I become irritable, uncomfortable, and uneasy. My body aches, I get upset stomachs, my anxiety goes through the roof, and here’s the kicker—I usually lose my hair! ALL OF IT! Can you believe it? My hair!
But let’s talk a bit about my brain.
It does not like medicine. In fact, like a rare virus from the rainforest, it soon adapts to the medication, which soon becomes ineffective. Sometimes this change takes place over weeks, sometimes it’s months. In any case, I can’t rely on meds to keep me from bursting into a performance of improv breakdancing.
Why am I telling you this?
I’m craving my independence! Not like I want to disappear and live off the grid or anything like that, but I would love not having to depend on so many people all the time. I would love to go to the movies by myself, or heck, even to the grocery store! It would be nice to be able to send my family off to school and work, even after starting a new medication or having one wear off, and not worry about being alone. But let’s get straight to the heart of this: I want to lock my bathroom door!
I love my family, and they mean the world to me, but they have to sacrifice way too much to look out for me. They worry, lose sleep, and even stay home from work sometimes, just to make sure I am ok. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate all they do for me, but hate that I put so much stress on my family, and I’d love to lessen that stress if I can. But most of all, I really want to lock my bathroom door!
So, here’s the thing…
I could really benefit from having a seizure service dog. If you just spend five minutes on the internet reading about dogs that have been trained on how to protect their owners with epilepsy, you would understand, and quite possibly be amazed. These wonderful dogs watch over their owners while they are having a seizure and draw attention to get help. They protect their owners after seizures to make sure they are safe. They help reduce anxiety, which is a major trigger for epileptic seizures. Some dogs will place their bodies between their owner’s head and the ground just to protect them. Some of these wonderful amazing dogs can even predict a seizure, and in doing so, their owners are able to find a safe place and have the time to make calls for help. Some owners even feel comfortable enough to lock the bathroom door!
Watch how seizure dogs can’t help owners from hitting their head.
However, these dogs come with a price.
A well trained dog will cost thousands of dollars. Training these animals to do these amazing tasks is not cheap, and then there are the different breeds of dogs to consider. Research and experience from others have shown there are only a handful of breeds that are effective as seizure dogs, and for some odd reason they happen to be some of the most expensive breeds. Go figure.
So let me get to the point!
After doing my own research—and I mean A LOT of research—I’ve concluded that I would love to have a Belgian Malinois as a seizure service dog.
This is where I ask for your help.
The average price of a Belgian Malinois is $1500…if you’re lucky enough to find a breeder in your area.
Training for a seizure service dog starts at $2100 and goes up from there. Check Service Dog Pricing
Service dog pricing.
Testing and official registration, depending on which agency you go through is around $450.
And to have a dog licensed, spayed/neutered, and cover other incidentals is around $350.
Anything you can do to help me reach my goal of locking my bathroom door would be much appreciated!
Please help spread the word!
Thank you!
Organizer
Brittany Schrader Eliason
Organizer
Midvale, UT
