"You walk out your front door, the weather is warm and clear, your surroundings are beautiful. You walk down your front yard to the sidewalk. Suddenly the sky turns gray, the sun is gone, the wind howls, you can’t hear, its hard to move, abject and total fear overcome you… you know, you absolutely know somebody on this street is going to try and kill you! You don’t know which one of your neighbours, your friends, or even total strangers it will be but you know, you will most likely face death today!

This sounds like the opening of a thriller or horror novel, doesn’t it? This is my every day reality.

My name is Kelli Lynn Parker. I’m a fifty something woman living with MCS/EI, Arthritis and Anxiety. I face the fact that I could die leaving my home or letting a friend, neighbour, or tradesperson into it on a daily basis, making it difficult for me to leave my home or be around others. Add to that my arthritis which causes me to be unable to hold things, to drop items, and be in constant pain.

MCS/EI (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Environmental Illness) is a life-threatening condition. It affects the auto- immune system causing serious and anaphylactic allergic reactions. This is not a new diagnosis. I’ve lived with it my entire life, but it wasn’t given the formal name until I was in my 30’s. I have over two dozen known allergies with varying degrees of severity. Four of them being airborne, even the slightest whiff can send me into anaphylaxis. My four airborne allergens are Latex, Coconut, Tea tree oil and Eucalyptus. I’m sure this doesn’t seem as dire as I make out, if I just avoid those four things, I’ll be fine.

Did you know in the last 25 years Latex has become less prevalent in medical and hospital use but is now used in fabrics, dyes, children’s toys, and that rubber contains Latex? Eucalyptus is in most cough drops, menthol products, and muscle rubs. Coconut has gone from being an occasional luxury item to being so common it is almost impossible to find a hygiene product that doesn’t have it in it. Coconut is also known by 9 other names and used as a base in another 40 plus formulas that are then used as a start for other products, over 8 pages worth when googled. Anyone of these things could kill me. Avoiding the use of such products is difficult, avoiding people that have used one of these products is impossible.

“You have an EpiPen don’t you”. Of course, I carry 3 to 5 at any given time as my reactions are so severe. Yes, an EpiPen can save me, but Epinephrine is extremely hard on your heart and can lead to massive heart attacks causing death. It is only a possible, temporary fix.

Why am I telling you all of this? I want you to understand how scary, disabling and serious this condition is. How life impacting. I can’t go anywhere on my own. I can’t leave my house safely. I can’t go to a party, a store, a church service, my grandkids’ sporting events, or a multitude of other things. I can’t eat out, travel or take a vacation. I hardly ever leave my home as the stress and fear of going out can cause panic attacks. I have to have someone do my shopping, check my mail, go with me to medical appointments.

There is, however, a partial solution, some hope, which will give me back some freedoms. A specifically trained service dog. A service dog that is trained to detect my four airborne allergens and to help prevent/de-escalate panic attacks would allow me to take a walk, go to a park, check my mail, perhaps even do some shopping for myself.

After serious research, contacting and speaking with several organizations, and working with a trainer to learn how difficult and intense service dog training is, I have applied and been accepted by Aspen Service Dogs in Edmonton Alberta. They have reviewed my health concerns, my limitations, and have spoken with me in depth about what a Service Dog can do to help mitigate my health issues.

Aspen Service Dogs is able to specially train a service dog for me. A dog that will scent my airborne allergens and give me time to avoid them. A dog who will be attuned to me and help calm me during panic attacks. A dog who can keep people from moving into my personal space which will help with contact allergens and with anxiety. A dog who can bring my phone and meds, as well as pick up, carry, or hand me things I drop. It is a lot for a dog to learn and not every dog has the temperament or ability to learn and perform these tasks in public environments.

Aspen Service Dogs has a good reputation and a tested successful training program with over 25 years of experience and 300 plus teams certified. Aspen Service Dogs is a Government of Alberta Approved Service Dog Organization. They have met and maintain all the requirements of the Alberta Service Dog Training Standard (which is basically the duplicate of the BC Service Dog Standard and based on Assistance Dog International Standards).

“We provide canines that are not only physically capable and healthy but also possess the ideal temperament for service work. They are disciplined, eager, and dedicated to their role – working in partnership with their handler to navigate daily challenges and enhance quality of life.” (Aspen Service Dogs)

Aspen Service Dogs is not a free service. Puppies to train are not free. Then there are vet fees, training costs, grooming, daily food and treats. Each Aspen Service Dog is trained for a specific person with individualized tasks per their needs. This is intense and time consuming. Training takes from 18 months to 2 years. The average cost is between $32,000 and $42,000. This is a considerable amount of money, but when broken down and knowing it includes a Certified Service Dog, specially trained for me, it includes my training and as well as the service dog’s certification… it is also about 8 years of every day service and safety. What would you pay for the chance to keep yourself, your child, or your loved ones safe? The chance that they could live a relatively normal life?

This is the difficult part. Although I do my best, I am not able to work in public. Because of my arthritis data entry and daily computer work is no longer a possibility for me. I do have a permanent part-time job, but it is only 6 hours a week at minimum wage. My income is severely limited and is considered below the poverty level. I need help.

Aspen Service Dogs allows its clients to pay in installments. The first installment, which is used to acquire the puppy, with all health and wellness checks, and a history of many service dogs in its family line and to begin training is $7,500. The next payment due 7 months later is $10,000. another payment 7 months after that is another $10,000, and the remaining balance is due upon completion of pairing and my training ($12,500).

The first $7,500 needs to be paid quickly. Aspen Service Dogs is expecting puppies to arrive in the next few weeks. If I miss getting one of them it could be up to a year before another puppy becomes available for training, then another 18 months to 2 years for training to be completed.

With hope for a better, less confining future, a future where I can shop for myself, go to a park, a friend’s wedding, my grandkids’ graduations, and maybe even take a holiday and travel, I am coming to you to ask for your help. Anything you can give is more than I have now and would be deeply appreciated.

Imagine, walking out your front door. It’s bright, sunny, and beautiful outside. You step out onto the walk and the clouds start to roll in, the air becomes heavy, your heart starts to beat hard and fast… you feel like you are going to die. Who is targeting you? You drop your keys. The world starts to tip. You can’t catch your breath. Suddenly something cold and wet touches your hand. You can feel a weight against your legs. You can feel the cold metal of keys being placed in your hand. You look down into eyes, filled with love and understanding. You feel the warm body pressing against you. The clouds dissipate. The sun returns. The air is crisp and clean again. You look down into those eyes filled with love, courage and hope. You can continue now. You are not on your own. You have help. You have a partner who is always by your side. Together you can face anything.

Please help me… help me acquire a Aspen Service Dog, so that I can face anything."