Andrew's Hope: Getting closer

Friday, November 15, 2013

Getting closer

Yes! We have received a date from 4 Paws when we can pick Carina up from her exteneded training. We weill be leaving on December 8th. We are allowing a little extra travel time due to having to go through Buffalo, NY. Blizzard City of the world. Carina's extra training is going to be so helpful to Andrew. She already does an All Star job with seizure detection. Now having the ability to tether(hook) Andrew to Carina to keep him safe and allow him to maintain his independence is huge! It is hard to believe that Andrew has ony started walking 3 years ago and now at times he will almost jog when on a flat surface. We are driving to Ohio and staying in a hotel for several days. We woudl like to ask for any help that we may get to pay for our trip. People were so gracouis in the past wit raising the money for Andrew to get Carina. We thank everyone for their help then and ask if anyone could help us out again now? Any Donations can be mailed to me at: Jamie Riley PO Box 318 Bradford, Vermont 05033.

1 comment:

NancyNovember 28, 2013 at 10:14 AM
To all my friends and family:
I have an urgent plea for any dollar donation you can make NOW to help raise $3,000. We have raised $1,150 so far. Please take the time to read this and be as generous as you can. You know I have never asked anyone for anything like this, but this is SO important. I thank you in advance for all of your support!

I know money is tight for all of us, especially at this time of year. However, I am making a plea for donations to help my niece, Jamie L Fleck Riley, with expenses for extra training for Carina, the service dog for her 6 year old son, Andrew.
Three years ago we raised $14,000 to get a service dog to pre-alert Andrew's seizures (multiple per day). Carina was trained at 4 Paws for Ability in Xenia, Ohio. She worked hard and was finally ready for Jamie & family to come here to Ohio for their week-long training so they could take her home on the East coast. (Seizures are just a small part of the disabilities Andrew has faced in his 6 years.)

Carina is now back in Ohio (Xenia) for additional training so Andrew can be tethered to her. We need to raise $3,000 for this. (Carina flew here several weeks ago for her 6-week class. Her airfare alone was $600! Jamie and family will make the long drive here again to do their 1-week class.

As of November 27th, we have raised about one-third, $1,150. Jamie & family will dive here December 8th for the training, so this fundraiser is very urgent!
Please consider sending $5, $10, $25 - whatever you can. It will all be greatly appreciated.

Mail checks (mark your memo line 'donation')
Jamie L Fleck Riley
PO Box 318 Bradford, Vermont 05033
We THANK YOU for any help you can offer!
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About Andrew

Andrew is a very handsome wonderful 6 year old boy. He gives us so much joy to have him in our life and, just like any parents, we want to do everything we can to make his life better.

Andrew has bilateral hearing loss and a difficult to control seizure disorder. Andrew also has a visual processing disorder which essentially makes him "blind". While he can visualize objects, he can not process and identify what he is seeing. On top of this, Andrew also has a swallowing disorder which makes it necessary for specialized feeding.

The seizures Andrew has been diagnosed with have also included Infantile Spasms, which is a very serious diagnosis in a child. Due to the severity and frequency of Andrew's seizures, he is termed as "Global Delay" because of the interruption they cause in his daily learning and processing of information. This is despite of being on multiple medications and therapies.

At 3 years of age, Andrew took his first steps. We are still waiting for the day he says his first word. Andrew has come a long ways in the last 3 years. Having Carina enhance her training to include tethering will be wonderful for Andrew. We have fought long and hard to get him walking, including fighting the school when they wanted to put him in a wheelchair. Andrew should be indepdendent as safely possible and noone should ever hold him back.

Carina has improved Andrew's long term quality of life by alerting and providing comfort before, during and after seizures. She can also help to be Andrew's eyes and ears and provide a much needed source of support and comfort to him as he meets the upcoming challenges in his life. We heard about a great organization that places highly trained dogs.

4 Paws for Ability is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children and adults with disabilities. The dogs are specially chosen and trained specific to each individual's needs. Our previous fundraising was on behalf of 4 Paws For Ability in order to minimize the wait time and allow us to participate in the process of placing a dog with Andrew.

Why 4 Paws For Ability?

4 Paws For Ability specializes in training service dogs for children with special needs and has a very high success rate. We encourage you to visit their site at http://www.4pawsforability.org/ to learn more about this wonderful organization. 4 Paws For Ability is a 501(C) Non-Profit Agency and all donations are tax deductible. 4 Paws for Ability's mission is to "Enrich the lives of people with disabilities by the training and placement of service dogs to provide individuals with companionship and promote independent living." and "Assist with animal rescue whenever possible by obtaining many of our animals from shelters and rescue groups." Through a family friend, we heard of another family currently undergoing the training and placement process of a seizure response dog for their 4 year old daughter Caitlin. 4 Paws For Ability is very highly recommended and has placed over 500 service dogs!