Service Dog for Autistic Brain Cancer Survivor

Kaelyn was diagnosed with brain cancer at 4 months old. Her brain tumor was removed and 13 days later, she was transferred to St Jude Children's Research Hospital, in Memphis, TN to begin treatment on a clinical trial. She completed chemotherapy right before her first birthday. Kaelyn traveled back and forth from Fort Worth, TX to Memphis, TN every few months for three years, and then reduced visits as more time passed. She now goes for yearly visits, and received the news in March 2021 that she is 5 years cancer free, and officially considered cured.

Unfortunately the cure for her cancer did come at a cost. Kaelyn faces challenges in her daily life that could greatly benefit from the care of a service dog. She was diagnosed with Autism at 3 years old, and has a tendency to melt down when her routine is broken, or when she is unable to communicate her needs or wants. A service dog could provide weight or pressure to give her input and calm her down. She also suffers from seizures, currently about 4-6 a year. Sometimes these seizures last 2-3 hours. We have found her in bed first thing in the morning having seizures, and hope a service dog could alert us so we can get her medical aid quickly. Kaelyn also has high frequency hearing loss from one of the chemotherapy drugs she received as an infant. She is fed by a gastrointestinal feeding tube and wears orthotics to assist with her walking. She attends Autism school full-time, and receives physical, speech, feeding and occupational therapy multiple days a week. A service dog could  become her pal and her guardian angel.

Our family's responsibility is $17,000 for the service dog. We do not have a class assignment until this fundraising goal is met. Class assignments are typically 2-2.5 years in the future. As Kaelyn is 6, that means receiving  a dog when she is anywhere from 8-10 years old, depending on the speed in which we reach our goal. Our hope is that we can meet this goal sooner, rather than later, so that we can secure her spot for a service dog.