Service Dog for Danton
Donation protected
Some of you may know my son Danton. When he was 21 months old he was diagnosed with Autism. We chose to move to Wisconsin for the state services they offered to families with Autism. In a 3 year span, Danton completed 4443 hours of intensive ABA therapy. After the 3 year program had ended, we decided to move back "home":) Finally back with family and friends. Unfortunately, a few years later Danton's father and I divorced. We still get along very well for the sake of Danton and his well being.
December 31, 2012 Danton slipped on the ice and fractured his back in 3 places. He missed 3 months of of school, and I stopped working to take care of him full time. Doctors informed us that he has the bones of a 75 year old man. He lost his appetite, but continued to gain a lot of weight. The reason for his weak bones and weight gain is still a mystery, even after numerous tests.
Back in October of last year we started to notice his eye sight was failing. What breaks my heart is that he is unable to communicate this loss with us, due to his Autism. In a matter of 2 months he lost all vision in his left eye, and he only has 30% in his right. We spent 8 days at Cardinal Glennon trying to find out what was causing this traumatic loss. Doctors were completely stumped. They finally came to the conclusion that Danton's sphenoid wing, located deep in his skull, had a bone overgrowth. This was causing his optic nerves to be cut off affecting his sight.
Doctors informed us they could do surgery, but couldn't guarantee he would get his sight back. After the surgery, we waited, hoping and praying he would regain his sight. Sadly, he didn't.
Before he lost his vision, Danton was limited with activities, again due to Autism. He enjoyed making Veggie Tale characters out of play dough, taking pictures with his phone. He was amazing at minecraft and angry bird, as well as a genius with a pair of scissors. We use to joke, saying we should have named him Edward Scissor, being that our last name is Hand:) After losing his vision, Danton is no longer able to do these activities, and it kills me. He's having a hard time adjusting, but doing as well as can be expected given the situation. He continues to shock and amaze me everyday. He's my little hero:)
We are in the process of getting a service dog for Danton. This will not only help him with his Autism, but his sight as well. This service dog will be allowed to go everywhere with him, hopefully giving him some confidence, independence, and a friend. These service dogs are extremely expensive, but well worth it. The money raised will pay for the dog, Vida, her training/licensing, medical expenses (to keep her healthy), food, and other incidental expenses that come up.
Your prayers and support would be much appreciated!! Thanks for reading our story. Julie (Danton's mom)
December 31, 2012 Danton slipped on the ice and fractured his back in 3 places. He missed 3 months of of school, and I stopped working to take care of him full time. Doctors informed us that he has the bones of a 75 year old man. He lost his appetite, but continued to gain a lot of weight. The reason for his weak bones and weight gain is still a mystery, even after numerous tests.
Back in October of last year we started to notice his eye sight was failing. What breaks my heart is that he is unable to communicate this loss with us, due to his Autism. In a matter of 2 months he lost all vision in his left eye, and he only has 30% in his right. We spent 8 days at Cardinal Glennon trying to find out what was causing this traumatic loss. Doctors were completely stumped. They finally came to the conclusion that Danton's sphenoid wing, located deep in his skull, had a bone overgrowth. This was causing his optic nerves to be cut off affecting his sight.
Doctors informed us they could do surgery, but couldn't guarantee he would get his sight back. After the surgery, we waited, hoping and praying he would regain his sight. Sadly, he didn't.
Before he lost his vision, Danton was limited with activities, again due to Autism. He enjoyed making Veggie Tale characters out of play dough, taking pictures with his phone. He was amazing at minecraft and angry bird, as well as a genius with a pair of scissors. We use to joke, saying we should have named him Edward Scissor, being that our last name is Hand:) After losing his vision, Danton is no longer able to do these activities, and it kills me. He's having a hard time adjusting, but doing as well as can be expected given the situation. He continues to shock and amaze me everyday. He's my little hero:)
We are in the process of getting a service dog for Danton. This will not only help him with his Autism, but his sight as well. This service dog will be allowed to go everywhere with him, hopefully giving him some confidence, independence, and a friend. These service dogs are extremely expensive, but well worth it. The money raised will pay for the dog, Vida, her training/licensing, medical expenses (to keep her healthy), food, and other incidental expenses that come up.
Your prayers and support would be much appreciated!! Thanks for reading our story. Julie (Danton's mom)
Organizer
Julie Karraker-Hand
Organizer
Marion, IL
