A New Addition

Since Alex was little and we realized he was going to have medical challenges, it has been our goal to give him the most "normal" life possible. As he has gotten older it has become more difficult as he has not been able to be as independent as he would like because of his health. Many years ago we started the process of trying to get him a service dog. The organization we were working with provides dogs free of charge to families, but they have a REALLY long wait list. It has been five years with no progress. Last fall I met a trainer who trains service dogs for children with complex medical issues who cannot receive a dog through other organizations. He trains each dog specifically for the child. On Christmas we surprised Alex with the news that we were going to start the process to get him a dog. We are happy to introduce you to Alex's new service dog, Zoey...

She is a 5 month old Giant Schnauzer. She is the sweetest little girl and already so well behaved. She is home with us for a few weeks before she heads back for more training. We are so incredibly grateful to Hilton Butler and The Butler Family Foundation for this bundle of hope. Zoey will have many jobs from alerting Alex and waking him up when his pumps are alarming, carrying his emergency medications, retrieving his bag, being a companion, calming him when he is suffering from anxiety and most importantly alerting us when Alex is becoming ill so we can intervene more quickly. We will begin fundraising in the next few weeks, but wanted to introduce Zoey so you could share in our joy and excitement for Alex.

Ali