Help Abigail Grace Be Able to Walk!
About Abigail:
Abby was born in Alaska with Arthrogryposis (aka AMC), a condition that causes fused joints, missing or mis-attached muscles, and severe mobility limitations. Abby has just come through two surgeries at The Paley Institute in South Florida where doctors had to cut her femurs down by 4 cm, shave in divots to make muscle attachments, and move some muscles after discovering that she is missing her right quadriceps muscle. They also lengthened and released tendons, and released her knee caps which had been fixed in place, unable to move.
These surgeries- there are many more to come- are followed by weeks of casting, tons of physical and occupational therapy appointments, and should allow her to eventually walk with support. Having a service dog will allow her to navigate curbs and steps and uneven terrain.
He will allow her to go to school and hang out with friends and generally live life as a kid without being wheelchair-bound.
Abby’s dad is a 2-tour combat vet (Army Infantry) who was medically retired with 100% disability and who is still undergoing surgeries to try to regain his full mobility. Abby is also the youngest of 5 children with 3 older sisters and a brother. The family had to sell their home in
Alaska and move to Florida to be close to the Shriner's hospital where Abby will have many surgeries and ongoing physical therapies for years. The family misses their Alaskan life, but the family mantra is "We're here for Abby" and they look at it as a chance for the siblings to know firsthand that we sacrifice our wants for the needs out of Love for our family.
About Abby’s service dog: There is no insurance coverage for service animals or their training. The organizations that provide service dogs have long waitlists- 6-10 years- and many focus on specific disabilities such as hearing or vision impairments or PTSD dogs for veterans. People who need service dogs are mostly left to crowdfund or go into debt for their animals. Initial puppy training for Abby’s dog will be about $3,000. The puppy, a Bernese Mountain Dog named Henry, was donated. Once Henry has passed his initial training he will accompany Abby to Shriners where they will help the family work with a local trainer to teach Henry what he needs to know. The estimated total cost of acquiring and training a service dog for Abby is about $30,000 over the course of the next two years and because she needs a big dog - with a shorter life expectancy - to help bear her weight, this will need to be repeated every 6-8 years.
Abby herself is described as "sweet and salty". She loves to smile for the camera... but also can assert her tiny but mighty little self when
she's had enough. She looks much younger than she is... this Tiny but Mighty little girl. People instantly fall in love with her and her grit and determination.