A Service dog for independence
Donation protected
A few months ago Kayla was diagnosised with a disabling condition called Narcolepsy with Cataplexy.
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by a loss of the brain’s neurotransmitters that regulate sleep-wake cycles.
Cataplexy is a sudden and uncontrollable loss of muscle control.
Here is Kayla's story...
Kayla was an outgoing child. She enjoyed going to the beach, swimming and sports. She has played softball since the age of 7. Dreamed of being a pitcher in college. Last Summer she was playing softball in front of college coaches looking for a scholarship. At school she worked hard and is in the National Honor Society and Beta Club. She graduates from High School in May 2017. She applied and was accepted to FAU and UNF.
Her goal is to become a Nurse Practicioner.
Last Spring break she caught the Flu virus. She went to the Dr and got meds and got better. Except, that she had less energy and got tired quickly. Playing softball all summer on her downtime she would sleep. As a Mom I thought she was just tired from playing so much softball on the weekends and practice during the week. She would go to bed by 7:30 pm (sometimes 6:30) and not want to get up til late in the day, the next day. She was sleeping approximately 15 hrs a day.
School starts in the fall. Senior year. She falls asleep during class and barely makes it home from school.
Then the Cataplexy starts. First the knee buckling then what looks to be seizures. She starts having sleep paralysis and horrible hallucinations at night. Dr after Dr diagnosis stress and just being a teenager. Finally her neurologists starts thinking Narcolepsy and sends her to a sleep specialist. After a 24 hr sleep study
Dr diagnoses her with Narcolepsy. During the sleep latency test she fell asleep within one min and fell into dreaming within 30secs. Dr says she is the worse case he has seen. She is in the process of trying different meds. But they come with side effects. Some bad enough to change meds.
The reason we are fundraising....
Kayla's cataplexy can happen anywhere at any time. When she falls to the ground it can be very frightening. She is conscious but she can't move any muscles, not even her tongue. Her longest episode was about 20 mins. She will be attending college soon and for this reason she needs a service dog. They have training specific for Narcolepsy.
To wake her up if she doesn't respond to her alarm and most importantly for her cataplexy.
They can predict an onset before it happens and warn her. They can break her fall and they can be with her to protect her until she is able to move again. If she gets hurt on the way down she can get help. Being a female and on the ground unable to move can be frightening. Mazie ( in the pic above ) is the Chocolate lab we purchased to have trained for Kayla.
But training is very expensive.
Kayla has dreams, she wants to make a difference in this world. It's a struggle now and she will have to work harder to make it happen but having Mazie as a trained companion through her college years will make a huge difference in her confidence and independence as well as her being a loving side kick. If you can help, we would really appreciate it. She is a determined young lady who is willing to work hard. Every donation helps. If enough people donate $1, we can reach our goal pretty quickly. Thank you for your help and God Bless.
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by a loss of the brain’s neurotransmitters that regulate sleep-wake cycles.
Cataplexy is a sudden and uncontrollable loss of muscle control.
Here is Kayla's story...
Kayla was an outgoing child. She enjoyed going to the beach, swimming and sports. She has played softball since the age of 7. Dreamed of being a pitcher in college. Last Summer she was playing softball in front of college coaches looking for a scholarship. At school she worked hard and is in the National Honor Society and Beta Club. She graduates from High School in May 2017. She applied and was accepted to FAU and UNF.
Her goal is to become a Nurse Practicioner.
Last Spring break she caught the Flu virus. She went to the Dr and got meds and got better. Except, that she had less energy and got tired quickly. Playing softball all summer on her downtime she would sleep. As a Mom I thought she was just tired from playing so much softball on the weekends and practice during the week. She would go to bed by 7:30 pm (sometimes 6:30) and not want to get up til late in the day, the next day. She was sleeping approximately 15 hrs a day.
School starts in the fall. Senior year. She falls asleep during class and barely makes it home from school.
Then the Cataplexy starts. First the knee buckling then what looks to be seizures. She starts having sleep paralysis and horrible hallucinations at night. Dr after Dr diagnosis stress and just being a teenager. Finally her neurologists starts thinking Narcolepsy and sends her to a sleep specialist. After a 24 hr sleep study
Dr diagnoses her with Narcolepsy. During the sleep latency test she fell asleep within one min and fell into dreaming within 30secs. Dr says she is the worse case he has seen. She is in the process of trying different meds. But they come with side effects. Some bad enough to change meds.
The reason we are fundraising....
Kayla's cataplexy can happen anywhere at any time. When she falls to the ground it can be very frightening. She is conscious but she can't move any muscles, not even her tongue. Her longest episode was about 20 mins. She will be attending college soon and for this reason she needs a service dog. They have training specific for Narcolepsy.
To wake her up if she doesn't respond to her alarm and most importantly for her cataplexy.
They can predict an onset before it happens and warn her. They can break her fall and they can be with her to protect her until she is able to move again. If she gets hurt on the way down she can get help. Being a female and on the ground unable to move can be frightening. Mazie ( in the pic above ) is the Chocolate lab we purchased to have trained for Kayla.
But training is very expensive.
Kayla has dreams, she wants to make a difference in this world. It's a struggle now and she will have to work harder to make it happen but having Mazie as a trained companion through her college years will make a huge difference in her confidence and independence as well as her being a loving side kick. If you can help, we would really appreciate it. She is a determined young lady who is willing to work hard. Every donation helps. If enough people donate $1, we can reach our goal pretty quickly. Thank you for your help and God Bless.
Organizer
Susan Sluder Davis
Organizer
Fernandina Beach, FL