Donate to help Benson get a service dog

Hi, our names are Brandon and Brooke and we are trying to raise money for a service dog for our son Benson.

 A little about our son Benson. He turned a year old on April 6th, 2023. At 4 months old he had his first seizure and we spend 3 nights 4 days in Rochester at the Mayo Clinic. Multiple tests, scans, blood draws, that left us clueless to what caused this seizure other then he may be epileptic. A month later he had another big seizure which led to him being diagnosed with Dravet syndrome in September 2022.

 Dravet syndrome is a rare form of drug resistant epilepsy. We recently found out this syndrome is not a gene that either of us parents carry which means Bennys diagnosis is very rare to have. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for it. 

As Benson continues to grow he will face many challenges and developmental delays. Shortly after his diagnosis we began looking into seizure dogs. We found most trainers have a waiting list of a few years. Luckily enough we got connected with a trainer who has a few a dogs already in service around the area. Even better news was that he has a dog that has already begun his training. A service dog will help monitor Benson for seizures, alert others when he needs help, along with catch him before he hits the ground during a seizure. And of course be his best friend who he will always find comfort and love towards.

 With Dravet syndrome a form of autism is developed during their toddler stages of life. Thankfully this service dog will be trained to help Benson as he enters these stages. Our goal is to have the help of the dog around to help keep Benson on the low spectrum of Autism.

 There are many challenges Benson will face in the future. The benefits of having a service dog will allow us to provide Benson with a better quality of life. It will help us stay ahead of his medical needs and be aware of seizures. Thank you to everyone who has helped our family and kept us in your thoughts and prayers. Our goal is to raise $22,000 for the cost and fees of the dog. The dog will be fully trained and be able to join our family late summer to early fall.

 Those who wish to follow our journey and stay up to date with Benson are welcome to join our Facebook page: Benson our Dravet warrior