Donate for Lachy’s Medical Expenses & Therapy Dog

Jenn & Lachy’s journey began when he was 2 years old & had a massive regression. He stopped talking, lost play skills, & lost all independent skills. After being diagnosed with autism in 2017, he continued to regress & his doctor recommended further testing. This began their journey to find answers. This led to years and years of specialists, therapies, hospital stays, & countless tests which prompted them to do a 3rd round of more extensive genetic testing in 2019. Lachlan was diagnosed with an extremely rare neurological genetic disorder called SHINE Syndrome (DLG4 Synaptopathy)... so incredibly rare that there are less than 100 cases currently diagnosed in the world. After Jenn learned that a high percentage of these SHINE kids have epilepsy, she added a neurologist to their team of doctors. This lead to yet another diagnosis in 2023 - a rare form of epilepsy called ESES. After trying & being unsuccessful with the only proven treatment for ESES to lower Lachlan's spiking percentages - they are left with the heartbreaking outlook that it is only a matter of time before Lachlan begins having active seizures.

Raising a severely special needs child is not a life that everyone can manage. But I am watching my best friend, Jenn, absolutely crushing it and doing it as a single mother nonetheless! She is the strongest, most resilient, & selfless person that I have ever known. She has the biggest heart & has completely dedicated her life to her son, Lachlan. While their life is full of nonstop barriers, continual ups & downs, life-altering decisions & lots of heartbreak - she continues to stay positive & refuses to give up.

Lachlan is currently 8 years old but has the understanding and independent skill level of a 12 to 18-month-old. He is an 8-year-old that is nonverbal, still in diapers, cannot dress himself, cannot bathe himself & requires constant supervision. He has zero understanding of safety/danger yet has the strength and reach of an 8-year-old making life increasingly challenging with every year that goes by. Many of us that are parents know how difficult & exhausting those early years of raising newborns/toddlers are as they rely on us for everything. But having Lachlan is like having a newborn/toddler for life. He will never be able to live independently or financially support himself... a worry that I know Jenn thinks about every single day. And while their future is uncertain - especially with this newest epilepsy diagnosis - one thing I know is that Jenn will spend the rest of her living life absolutely fighting for this kid & giving him the most loving & amazing life that she possibly can.

So let’s come together to help this sweet boy get everything he needs and help this mama breathe her first big sigh of relief in over 6 years. Let’s raise enough money to get her out of the almost $40,000 medical/therapy debt & get Lachlan some much-needed help in this new journey of epilepsy... such as a multi-camera SAMI nighttime seizure monitoring system & a seizure response therapy dog. Just those two things together total over $30,000! Let’s help eliminate a small percentage of stress & weight that Jenn continues to carry with such grace & show her that she doesn’t have to do this all on her own. Anything helps & is appreciated! Thank you so much!