By Beth Billstrom – In 2022, Bethany experienced a horrifying seizure brought on by a stroke. Unbelievably, her then five-year-old daughter was home and knew how to call EMS. Bethany states, “She helped me through until the emergency medical team arrived. I’m so grateful to her, but she’s a child. I needed a different plan.” Although she feels lucky that her husband and daughter are willing to help her, she knows her conditions are stressful for them, too. “They always worry about me,” admits Bethany. “They need to go to work and school, so being left by myself is scary …
Seizure Assist Dog
Seizure Assist Dog Castle Gives Rebekah a Reason to Live
Rebekah, who was matched with Seizure Assist Dog Castle in late 2022, has a history with working dogs. She says, “I had a Golden Retriever growing up as a kid. He was a trained therapy dog.” Without knowing this history, Can Do Canines selected Castle for Rebekah, who also happens to be a Golden Retriever. Referring to this coincidence, Rebekah says, “Having Castle is almost like he’s living on through her.” Compared to her previous dog, Castle is trained to help Rebekah with new challenges in her life. When Rebekah applied to Can Do Canines, she had what she called …
Zeta Brings “Spark of Life” to Michelle
Michelle jokes that she collects “ologists”: neurologists, a cardiologist, a rheumatologist, etc. This type of collection is no laughing matter, though. Michelle was diagnosed with lupus nearly a decade ago. She explains, “The results of the lupus strain on my body brought about seizures, migraines, and a heart condition called Supraventricular tachycardia.” Experiencing seizures multiple times per week, Michelle couldn’t be left alone and says, “A typical day was kind of scary. It made me feel like I was trapped inside a body and trapped inside a house.” She adds, “My independence was being taken away from me, and I …
Seizure Assist Dog Gus Puts Anxiety to Rest
“Independence is really what it is.” That’s what Stephanie and Jason, parents to Owen, want for him. Stephanie explains, “We want him to be able to go out on his own and do things without Mom and Dad being there. He is 21 for goodness sake.” Getting to the point of potential independence has been a long road for Owen, though. As an infant, he was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a disorder that causes tumors to form in the body. For Owen, inoperable tumors happened to choose his brain as their nesting ground, resulting in his battle with epileptic seizures. Stephanie …
An Instant Connection
By Susan Byers – It’s easy to understand why Kaiya had an instant connection with her 3-year-old Mobility and Seizure Assist Dog, Fargo. Both have a strong work ethic, a steady demeanor, and a creative spirit. As an artist, Kaiya uses a steady hand to create intricate body art with henna. As a hard-working yellow Labrador Retriever, Fargo is always close at hand to support Kaiya in countless—and often playful—ways. Kaiya has Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that affects blood pressure, heart rate, and electrolyte balance. Kaiya’s symptoms include dizziness upon rising or …
Liv’s Life Improves with “Clark Care”
Imagine not knowing if you would pass out each time you bend over. That’s Olivia’s reality. Born three months premature, which led to hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy, and diagnosed at age 8 with a unique form of epilepsy, Liv has had over 150 surgeries in her 26 years of life so far. Yet, it wasn’t until college that she realized how desperately she needed a dog as part of her care team. “When I was a freshman,” she recalls, “I was alone in my dorm room, studying for midterms, and I had a seizure.” Luckily, she was able to get …
“Grad Pack” Member Hoped for Lighting to Strike Twice
Not long after being certified as a team in 2010, Terri and Seizure Assist Dog Brody practically became local celebrities. Terri has a Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS), similar to a pacemaker, implanted in her chest that Brody was trained to trigger by pressing a magnet on his collar to Terri’s chest when she’s lying on the ground. Doing so can stop the seizure. At the time, they were the first team known in the world to do this, earning them media attention. For Terri, who has regular seizures, due to being involved in an explosion while working as a police …
2017 Team Sticks to Goal of Advocating for Others
When Robyn graduated with Seizure Assist Dog Ziggy in 2017, she boldly proclaimed, ”We’re going to conquer the world.” Since then, the team has been making good on their promise. Despite a 2013 skiing accident that caused a traumatic brain injury and led to a seizure disorder and migraines, Robyn has been determined to help other “survivors and warriors” like herself. Right around the time she received Ziggy, she created a brain injury support group in Mankato, near her home of Good Thunder, Minnesota. It was the first known group of its kind there, and she has kept the monthly …
Minimal Wait Reported for Certain Types of Assistance Dogs
Can Do Canines announces that there is currently less waiting time than normal for clients who need one of the following types of assistance dogs: Mobility Assist Dog, Hearing Assist Dog, Diabetes Assist Dog, and Seizure Assist Dog. Each of these types of dogs, along with Autism Assist Dogs, are provided free of charge to accepted applicants. Interested applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for a Can Do Canine assistance dog: Must be a resident of Minnesota or Wisconsin Must be physically and financially able to take full responsibility for the dog after certification Must be at …
Gallagher Works to Minimize Seizure Effects for Ryan
When a grown man can finally celebrate being able to shop alone, rather than under the watchful eye of his wife, some type of special change has happened. That change for Ryan Braaten of Brainerd, MN, was Seizure Assist Dog Gallagher. In 2011, while in the military, Ryan was deployed to Iraq, where he suffered permanent brain damage from a suicide vehicle attack. That injury causes him to experience seizures every day, zapping him of his energy and often, his safety. Married, with two young children and one on the way, Ryan explains the difficulty of the past couple years …