A Service Dog For Marlena
A nonprofit fundraiser supporting
4 Paws for Ability IncMaking Marlena’s Dream Come True
$4,880
raised by 26 people
$4,880 goal
Edited Goal Amount!
Wanted to update that our goal amount has been edited down to more accurately reflect the remaining amount we need to raise between the two fundraising pages (this one, and the Facebook fundraising page). We are getting SO CLOSE!!! Thank you all so much ❤️
Marlena Whitehead is an extraordinary girl, full of giggles and fierce curiosity. She is sweet, bubbly, vibrant, and determined. She is a twin to her brother Logan, and they are our three-year-old miracle babies.
Marlena’s challenges became evident to us when she was about 12 months old. Since then, she’s regularly attended various therapies, and seen countless specialists in regards to her severe low muscle tone, global delays, and feeding difficulties. This April, following an extremely lengthy process of genetic and neurological testing, Marlena finally received a diagnosis of Rett Syndrome.
Rett Syndrome is a rare genetic neurological disorder that occurs almost exclusively in girls and leads to severe impairments, affecting nearly every aspect of the child’s life: their ability to speak, walk, eat, and even breathe easily. Rett Syndrome is caused by mutations on the X chromosome on a gene called MECP2. Rett syndrome can present with a wide range of disability ranging from mild to severe.
Rett Syndrome will try to take a lot away from our daughter, but it has not predetermined her life story; she will show us what she can and cannot do, and we will follow her lead, and do every single thing we can to support her. One of the greatest things we feel we can do for her is to provide her with a service dog, and we are so grateful that she has been accepted to receive one through 4 Paws for Ability.
Her dog will be trained as a multipurpose service dog, and will be specifically trained to assist in mobility tasks, behavior disruption, balance, stand and brace, retrieval, pushing automatic buttons, opening and closing doors, turning lights on and off, and assisting with dressing.
It costs 4 Paws for Ability between $40,000-$60,000 to raise, train, and place a service dog. Our family has to raise $17,000 of that. The sooner we meet that goal, the sooner Marlena will be placed with her new best friend!
If you are able, we welcome and appreciate donations in any amount to help us reach our $17,000 goal. Thank you all so much.