In March of 2023 Our sweet baby boy Remington had his first of probably thousands of seizures by now. Then in late 2023 after many hospital stays, helicopter flights, ambulance rides and tons of testing, Remington was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy called Doose Syndrome which is also known as myoclonic–astatic epilepsy. Since then we have spent our days and nights keeping watch for, and helping him through, his multiple seizure types which can be quite difficult. One of the reasons we moved to South Dakota was the cooler climate compared to Florida and it is that reduction in heat that allowed Remington to go outside more and be a kid since heat does affect his seizures. While multiple medications and a safety helmet all help to give Remington the most normalcy a 4 year old with epilepsy could want, the management of Remington's epilepsy requires extreme vigilance by us and his teachers and baby sitter, 24 hours a day. As you can imagine, this can be extremely taxing not only on Remington, but also us, his parents and also his younger brother and sister and anyone that is a caregiver for Remington.

Luckily, we have been approved to begin the lengthy and expensive process of welcoming a seizure alert dog into their family. A seizure alert dog can help with tasks such as providing deep pressure therapy to reduce stress or assist during a seizure, help Remington navigate over stimulating situations (which are a trigger for his seizures), and comfort Remington overnight (epilepsy has drastically affected Remington's sleep, and ours!). However the most invaluable skill is that a seizure alert dog can sometimes help anticipate the seizure which will help the our response and others during a seizure. When a seizure occurs, the dog can alert an adult, can make sure Remington “falls safely” when he seizes, and could also retrieve his rescue medications.

We are optimistic that a seizure alert dog will drastically improve the quality of Remington's life. Both us and Remington have learned how to live with epilepsy, and now the goal is for Remington to THRIVE despite this diagnosis.

Unfortunately seizure alert dogs are (understandably) expensive. The current process requires that families raise funds before being added to the placement list. Once added to the list, the wait can be up to 2 years.

The wait can be shorter but still quite long if we obtain our own dog for Remington before hand, but training is still understandably expensive and quite intensive and can require frequent travel. You also have to ensure that you are obtaining a dog with the right temperament and will be the right fit for both Remington and us.

Any help that can be given or even just advice, if you just so happen to know a resource or something we did not know. Thank you everyone!