Nicholas's Service Dog Fundraiser

Our Story... 

Meet Nicholas Brayden Micheletti! Our son. He is a cheerful, loving five-year-old little boy born with an extremely rare neurodevelopmental genetic disorder called FBXO11. When he was diagnosed at the age of two there was less than twenty cases known in the whole entire world. Along with his genetic disorder he has been diagnosed with Autism, Intellectual Disability, ADHD, Microcephaly, Developmental Delays, Speech Impairment, Sleep Disturbances and Hypotonia, having to wear custom shoe insoles and braces. Nicholas being described as a "hard worker" is an understatement. Since birth, Nicholas has worked with speech therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, behavioral therapist and has attended hundreds of specialty doctor appointments along with numerous diagnostic tests. However, the older Nicholas has aged, the more we are learning about his rare genetic disorder and noting difficulties he is having. Emotional and behavioral concerns, hyperactivity, sleepless nights, coordination and hypotonia issues and more importantly, safety has been our biggest concern with elopement.   

Nicholas becomes overstimulated when he enters crowded public spaces. A simple trip to the zoo, restaurant, grocery store and participation in sport activities have made Nicholas feel anxious and overwhelmed resulting in meltdowns, panic attacks and behavioral issues. In hopes, a service dog would help allow Nicholas to feel calm and safe so we can attend public outings as a family of four, along with feeling at ease during car rides. Having lack of social verbal skills has caused Nicholas great frustration for him to express his wants and needs. 

Nicholas does not have the mentality to understand the need for saftey when out in public and crossing a road. If you do not watch him closely, he will take off running in the road away from you. This has caused a huge saftey concern for our family. The larger Nicholas is getting, the harder it is for him to fit in the stroller, which he hates. His rehab doctor has made suggestions to order a medical stroller when he becomes older, however, we know pinning him down would cause even more anxiety. We hope a service dog would allow him to feel more independent, so he can walk more freely and act as a balance with stability support, and more importantly, so he can explore safely and just be a kid. Nicholas also must be watched closely mouthing small objects, which makes choking a huge concern. We hope a service dog could somehow be trained to alert an adult if this would occur.  

Nicholas has only slept completely through the night a handful number of times in his entire 5 years of age. His sleepless nights not only have cause exhaustion for him, but stress on his mother and father having to lay with him every night. Nicholas needs deep pressure to help him stay asleep and we feel a service dog could help give him that input.    

Overall, we feel a service dog would give Nicholas so many more opportunities to excel in life. We hope decreasing his hyperactivity and overstimulation in school with a service dog by his side will enhance learning, giving him the opportunity to shine! A struggle to brush Nicholas's teeth and a simple haircut we hope will one day become a simple task for him. We would love to add a new member to our family. We would greatly open arms, to not only a service dog, but a companion to help Nicholas's quality of life. 

We were introduced to this wonderful organization, New Horizons Service Dogs, through a longtime friend. Nicholas is currently on the wait list for a service dog for almost a year. Now we hope our friends and family can make these hopes and dream become a reality for our little boy Nicholas. New Horizons Service Dogs (NHSDI) was founded in 1995. A 501(c)(3), Federal ID 59-3334829, not for profit organization, New Horizons receives no government funding and is financed solely from fundraisers, donations and grants. The cost to train and place a service dog is approximately $25,000. NHSDI’s volunteer puppy raisers and trained staff breed, train and certify service dogs for disabled veterans, autistic children and qualifying persons with physical disabilities. The fully trained Service Dogs are given, at no charge, to deserving qualified recipients. New Horizons places approximately 42 dogs every year.   

Please consider donating to this fundraiser so we can not only help Nicholas, but other children and adults with special needs live a more purposeful quality of life with a service dog by their side to make that happen. Every penny counts. Small donation or large, we will be forever grateful. 

Thank you so much for taking your time to read our story. 

Sincerely,  

Nicholas, Christie (Mom), Nick (Dad) & Madison (Sister)