Our family needs your help! Due to significant disability, Kendall uses a wheelchair part time as there is a risk of passing out at anytime. Even, and especially, when Kendall needs to go somewhere that is not accessible, there is the risk of them passing out due to POTS and other complications of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. We were doing well managing these conditions for awhile, but in August 2021 Kendall got into a car accident. Though not physically injured, the stress and strain of the aftermath of the car accident caused Kendall's conditions to flare, or so we thought. It has now become clear that this is no flare, but a permanent decline. This has left us very nervous about Kendall going out alone.

Kendall's primary specialists agree that a service dog is a good idea to help keep them safe when out of the house. Alerts to blood pressure and heart rate changes can give Kendall vital time to get somewhere safe before possibly passing out. Object retrieval so that Kendall doesn't need to get out of the wheelchair or bend over, risking passing out. And alerting someone should they actually pass out and possibly get hurt. Having this dog would provide Kendall with safe access to the community, even when alone.

However, getting a service dog is no small expense. Getting an already trained dog is easily $5,000-$10,000, and can take years to reach the top of a waitlist. We do not feel comfortable with that wait. We are choosing to owner train our service dog. This is more work on our part, but the timing and cost are more ideal as owner training a dog is less expensive. We have applied for the adoption of a dog, which is currently pending, and we have contacted a service dog trainer, so we are officially on the clock to gather the needed funds to bring this sweet girl home! The dogs adoption fee is $500, she will need a crate, leash, vest and patches, as well as training which can easily take over a year and will cost approximately $3,300, so we estimate the total cost to be approximately $4,000. We will update this amount should we discover the training will be less or more.

With Kendall totally disabled and on SSDI, these start up costs are not feasible for our family. Please donate or share if you cannot donate! This is an important need for Kendall as it's very easy to get badly hurt suddenly passing out!