Help Xander get a Seizure Alert dog!

Xander McMillan is an energetic 7 year old boy who lives in Mason, Ohio. Xander was diagnosed in infancy with Tuberous Sclerosis and Epilepsy. Tuberous Sclerosis is “a rare, multi-system genetic disease that causes benign tumors to grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs, and skin that usually affects the central nervous system and results in a combination of symptoms including seizures, developmental delay, behavioral problems, skin abnormalities, and kidney disease." Due to his medical conditions, Xander frequently has seizures, often at night time, that can result in long hospital stays. His seizures have been difficult to catch overnight due to a lack of movement and failure to alert monitoring equipment the family currently has in place.

Xander loves the Cincinnati Bengals (especially JOE BURROW), superheroes and animals, especially dogs! He loves to come to school and see his friends. Although tiny in size, Xander is full of personality and his smile can light up a room!

After a recent visit to Children’s Hospital, Xander’s neurologist and social worker encouraged the family to explore getting a service dog for Xander’s needs. After several months of research the family knows a service dog would be a wonderful support for Xander. This is where the Dulebohn Service Dogs come into play. Dulebohn is a non-profit organization that breeds, raises, trains, and places service dogs with children and veterans who have disabilities. Dulebohn Service Dogs has placed over 1,750 service dogs, all trained with specific tasks and skills to mitigate the impacts of their partner’s disabilities.

As you can imagine, a service dog with specialized training for seizure alerting is very expensive. This is where we need your help. Our goal is to raise $22,000 to fund a service dog for Xander! If/when the funds are raised, Xander would be placed on a waitlist (estimated to be anywhere from 12-14 months) for a service dog. The dog would be specifically trained to support Xander’s safety, medical needs and overall care in the community and at school.

We are so thankful to partner with Dulebohn Service Dogs. We are required to raise $6,000 before we can move forward with the next step of our journey. To learn more about this phenomenal organization, visit their website at https://dulebohnservicedogs.org/. Thank you in advance for your consideration in donating and helping us work to give Xander the opportunity for a service dog to support his medical needs.

With love and gratitude, Meri, Mike & Xander