Overcoming Challenges: Christian's Battle with Epilepsy and the Hope a Service Dog Brings

Christian's journey with epilepsy began when he was just 4 months old. His life since that diagnosis has been filled with hospital visits, medication trials, and countless sleepless nights; for him and his parents. Each day has been a battle against the unknown, as the family navigated the complexities of managing a chronic condition such as epilepsy. Currently, at the age of 11, Christian is not able to sleep in his own room due to the amount of seizures he has at night. As you can imagine, this is not ideal for an 11 year old or his parents. 

Despite these challenges, Christian’s spirit continues to press on. He has recently gotten his brown belt in tae-kwon-do, excels in schools, and loves playing with his friends. However, the unpredictability of his diagnosis greatly limits his independence and ability to do many things.

Service dogs can significantly improve the quality of life for individuals with epilepsy in so many ways, such as detecting the onset of a seizure, at times before it happens. They can also alert family members, fetch medication, and even provide physical support during and after a seizure.  With a highly trained, life changing and life saving service dog, Christian will be able to finally sleep in his own room, go to his friends house for a slumber party, as well as participate in more activities with confidence, knowing his loyal partner is there to support him, providing a sense of normalcy in Christian’s daily life. Along with that, although it clearly won't diminish all of the worry that his parents will feel, knowing that Christian will have a highly trained partner by his side, that worry decreases and their peace of mind increases. 

We are currently in the process of finalizing the funding for the dog that Christian was matched with and he will be bringing that amazing pup home in October!! If you want to help in our efforts to complete the final funding, you can find more information on how you can do so here.

Moxie's Mission is all about people coming together to make a difference and change the lives of others. We are so excited to watch Christian's story continue to unfold and honored to be able to assist Christian in this part of his journey. Thank you to everyone who joined us in "going the distance for a service dog" and being part of making this life change happen.