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As many of you know, Xen has an inter-uterine stroke causing her to have Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. She has worked so hard to overcome her struggles. She has had any combination of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy for the last 5 1/2 years. We have recently started her in Play Therapy to manage the feelings she has about her disability and her obvious differences from her peers. A little person can only manage statements like, "What's wrong with your legs? You don't run fast. Why do you hold things like that?" for so long. I know kids are curious, but it is hard on Xen.
This year she started Kindergarten which opened her world to new opportunities, as well as new struggles. She has an amazing Kindergarten teacher and attends a phenomenal school, but some struggles are hard to avoid. Since all of her peers are energetic five-year-olds, they like to play chase and hide-and-seek or climb on the playground structures. Unfortunately, Xen does not have the stamina to keep up with the running and she lacks the balance and depth perception to climb the structures, especially when it is crowded with dozens of other energetic five-year-olds. This has left Xen walking the perimeter of the play area alone. on most days. It breaks my heart and makes her sad.
She was hospitalized right after Thanksgiving 2017 due to multiple seizures at school causing her to fall, slur her words and struggle with any muscle control. She was in the ER twice, then hospitalized. The 24 hour EEG showed some seizure activity but it also showed some alarming activity on the unaffected side of her brain. We have gone through 6 different medications since her hospitalization to determine what works best for her and her type of seizures.
I feel a Service Dog will open up the world more for Xen, especially when I cannot be with her. This dog will be trained as a Seizure Alert dog as well as a Balance Dog. This way we will know when a seizure is coming and Xen can prepare AND she can tackle stairs and hills without me worrying that she will fall. Plus, we can all agree, kids love dogs. I'm hoping with her having the dog at school, other kids will be drawn to Xen to play with her; or at a minimum, she has a guaranteed friend at all times.
The person we are getting the dog from is giving us a huge discount. Usually these dogs can cost $20,000+, but she is charging $700 for the dog (which includes her travel costs and neutering) and $50 a month for 2 years of Service training.
Any bit will help.
And THANK YOU from Xen and the Ponder family.
This year she started Kindergarten which opened her world to new opportunities, as well as new struggles. She has an amazing Kindergarten teacher and attends a phenomenal school, but some struggles are hard to avoid. Since all of her peers are energetic five-year-olds, they like to play chase and hide-and-seek or climb on the playground structures. Unfortunately, Xen does not have the stamina to keep up with the running and she lacks the balance and depth perception to climb the structures, especially when it is crowded with dozens of other energetic five-year-olds. This has left Xen walking the perimeter of the play area alone. on most days. It breaks my heart and makes her sad.
She was hospitalized right after Thanksgiving 2017 due to multiple seizures at school causing her to fall, slur her words and struggle with any muscle control. She was in the ER twice, then hospitalized. The 24 hour EEG showed some seizure activity but it also showed some alarming activity on the unaffected side of her brain. We have gone through 6 different medications since her hospitalization to determine what works best for her and her type of seizures.
I feel a Service Dog will open up the world more for Xen, especially when I cannot be with her. This dog will be trained as a Seizure Alert dog as well as a Balance Dog. This way we will know when a seizure is coming and Xen can prepare AND she can tackle stairs and hills without me worrying that she will fall. Plus, we can all agree, kids love dogs. I'm hoping with her having the dog at school, other kids will be drawn to Xen to play with her; or at a minimum, she has a guaranteed friend at all times.
The person we are getting the dog from is giving us a huge discount. Usually these dogs can cost $20,000+, but she is charging $700 for the dog (which includes her travel costs and neutering) and $50 a month for 2 years of Service training.
Any bit will help.
And THANK YOU from Xen and the Ponder family.