4 Paws for 2 Brothers- Zeke and Eli
A nonprofit fundraiser supporting
4 Paws for Ability Inc$17,135
raised by 38 people
$17,000 goal
Progress and Big Changes
Dear friends,
With your help, we have made such incredible progress and are currently at 63% of our goal! Will you help share our story with your community and help us get to the finish line of fundraising? The connections you help us make are truly life-changing!
Although our momentum has suffered some, I have been overwhelmed by recent events in our family and needed the last month to survive, process, and find some equilibrium again. During Eli's 5 day inpatient EEG study, it was discovered that in addition to his focal seizures, he also has generalized myoclonic seizures. It's likely that he has been having these since toddlerhood, possibly even before his first Status seizure, but we simply hadn't caught them on previous EEGs which is very common even for people with severe epilepsy syndromes. Myoclonic seizures are brief muscle jerks of a single muscle or group of muscles, and can be an occasional, isolated jerk or come in clusters of several at once. They are often difficult to treat and resistant to medication. Identifying these seizures came as a surprise to us, and while it is extremely helpful information in guiding his treatment, it has changed our understanding of his epilepsy diagnosis and means we are going through another round of investigation with MRI and genetic testing to try to find a cause. Eli has also started his 3rd seizure medication as the previous one was ineffective and caused severe side effects at higher doses. We are having to increase this one very slowly to try to avoid side effects as he was unable to tolerate the target dose. In the mean time, he appears to still be having some myoclonics, but it is always a work in progress!
Zeke has had significant fluctuations in his anxiety levels and resulting behaviors recently. He is completing 3rd grade at his current building and will be attending 4th grade part-time at our upper elementary building in the fall, which means lots of transitions! Although it's a good move, change is particularly stressful for our kids with autism. Zeke shows his stress with increased stimming behaviors, self-injurious behaviors (he picks the skin on his fingertips until they bleed), and shutting down and resisting outside direction. He has grown in so many ways, though, and I see him reaching out to his best friend and accepting our emotional guidance in ways he was never able to before, and I'm proud of how hard he is working. It pierced my heart recently when he was upset about something and said to me, "I just wish I already had my Service Dog. It could lay on my lap and I could pet it and breathe." I was at once impressed that he was able to put that in words, and also ached that EVERYTHING about this journey is such a process.
In other family news, the boys' dad has completed all but one class for his degree in Information Assurance and Cyber Security, and is in the thick of searching for long-term employment. We are anxiously hoping for a position that allows us to stay in our current school district as we have wonderful, comprehensive school plans for the kids here with staff who know and care for them. We also have all of their specialist and hospital care just a short drive away, which is indispensable as a family with special needs.Â
Thank you, once again, for all of your support through donations, prayers, and encouraging words! Each and every one is deeply meaningful to us. Together, we will reach our goal soon and begin the countdown to the class where our warrior boys will meet their life-saving partner!
Welcome to our 4 Paws for Ability mission! We, the Watson family, are working to raise $17,000 to bring home a highly trained Multipurpose Service Dog for our two oldest children, Zeke and Eli. With a constellation of conditions they wake up to face every day, each boy is a small but mighty warrior with incredible courage and endurance. A service dog trained and matched to their unique needs will be the faithful partner they need to thrive.Â
Zeke, age 9, and Eli, age 7, both have Autism and ADHD. In addition, Zeke has a hypermobility spectrum disorder that causes gait problems, pain and fatigue, as well as severe food allergies and asthma. Eli also has Epilepsy, hypotonia, and difficulty with coordination. He has a unique genetic condition, 1q21.3 Duplication. They are no strangers to hospitals, doctors, medicines, tests, therapies, and medical equipment. These are often overwhelming and anxiety-provoking. When overwhelmed, both tend to cope by stimming, shutting down, melting down, or sometimes even hiding or lashing out.
Zeke is highly verbal and will talk your ear off about his favorite topics: wolves and their conservation, the Legend of Zelda, and Pokemon. He has a brilliant, wide grin and nearly vibrates with energy. If you see him in his element, he might seem to blend in. But just under the surface, he struggles daily with anxiety, social skills, sensory processing, and self-regulation. Change and new things are very difficult for him, and as much as he desperately wants friends and social interaction, he often needs help to navigate situations that remain mysterious to him.
Eli will wiggle right into your heart with a blink of his green eyes from behind his thick glasses! Eli loves dogs and cats, pirates, digging in the dirt, and collecting rocks. Eli also enjoys singing, and can often be heard humming or singing as he plays. Eli has severe delays in social communication and does not engage consistently with his peers. He is extremely impulsive and has little awareness of danger, and is prone to distracted wandering and darting off.
Eliâs seizures began suddenly with Status Epilepticus (a medical emergency, where an extended seizure or repeated seizures do not stop on their own without extensive medical intervention) when he was 3.5 years old. Although medications have helped, he continues to have focal and myoclonic seizures, some of which can be difficult for a human care-giver to catch. Like other seizure parents, we are constantly on alert. We worry not only that he will wander off, but do so and then have a seizure, unable to stay safe or call for help. Because of his type of Epilepsy (multi-focal and mixed type seizures) and the lack of seizure freedom, this is considered a life-long condition for him and he is always at risk for another Status seizure or a worsening of seizures as his brain grows and changes.
Zeke and Eliâs service dog will be trained in the following:Â
- Behavior Disruption (Lap, Nuzzle, Touch, Deep Pressure) for anxiety, sensory overload, and shutdowns/meltdowns for both boys. These tasks will also help Eli to recover after more significant seizures, which can leave him tired and disoriented.
- Tethering will help Eli to stay close, and if he does slip away, scent tracking will help us locate him quickly.Â
- Seizure alert will give Eli a little bit of independence, knowing the service dog will get our attention if he is about to have or has a seizure.Â
Other benefits include a social bridge, the steadying routine of participating in the dogâs care, and the opportunities and motivation to learn new skills and be physically active while exercising and playing with the dog. And you canât beat its snuggly, furry package!
Our family has been accepted into the program at 4 Paws for Ability, a non-profit 501(c)(3) with over 20 years of experience placing highly trained service dogs with children and veterans with disabilities. Although families are asked to raise $17,000 toward their dog, that is only a fraction of the $40,000-60,000 it takes 4 Paws to breed, raise, and train a dog like ours. As a U.S. military veteran family, we know weâve come through overwhelming challenges before with the support of friends and family. We can see this mission through as well, with your help!