Kade Farlow needs service dog
Kade Farlow was born on December 16, 1997 to Robert and Tammy Farlow. Kade’s birth was extremely difficult and the oxygen supply to his brain was severed which resulted in him developing Cerebral Palsy. (Cerebral Palsy is damage to the part of the brain that controls muscles). There are varying degrees of Cerebral palsy and Kade’s is called spastic quadriplegia. He is completely dependent on his family for every aspect of his life; from bathing and dressing him to feeding and toilet needs. Kade requires a wheelchair for all mobility outside the home. However, Tammy and Robert consider every day they get to be Kade’s parents an unbelievable blessing.
Kade also has a seizure disorder due to his brain damage. He has been on numerous medications in an attempt to control his seizures, as well as having a Vagus nerve stimulator implanted in his chest. The meds greatly affect Kade’s moods and ability to learn. Unfortunately, their ability to control his seizures has been limited.
Communication is by far the most challenging problem facing Kade and his family. He is able to say almost any word you ask of him, however he has limited ability to come up with words independently. The most difficult aspect of Kade’s disability is that he cannot tell us when something is wrong either physically or emotionally and he tends to get extremely overwhelmed when there are a lot of people around.
As you can see by his infectious smile, Kade is an extremely happy child. Like most ten-year-old boys Kade loves to act silly and rough house and he is happiest when teasing or aggravating others. Kade also loves to watch movies, listen to music and play with balls. He has one sister, Danielle, however she is 23 years old and does not live in the home, so he has no other children with which to play.
We did a lot of research and discovered that there is a wonderful organization that provides service dogs to people with special needs to make their life more productive and fulfilling. 4 Paws for Ability trains dogs specifically to the needs of an individual. We have been evaluated and have been approved for a service dog for Kade. We feel a service dog will benefit Kade’s life tremendously in many ways. It will help him socially by not only giving him security without mom or dad being right there, but also bridging a gap with his peers. We are hopeful that the dog will be able to be trained to detect Kade’s seizures prior to them occurring, giving us some peace of mind. Physically the dog will be an encouragement during therapy. After ten years, it has become quite a challenge to keep Kade motivated during his numerous therapy sessions. Last, but certainly not least is the idea that our son will have a “buddy” who is always there to play with him and be his friend.
We cannot tell you how happy this makes us. However, it takes a lot of time and effort to make this process work. Of course this means money. We need to raise $13,000.00 to have a dog trained especially for Kade. Any donation we receive to help us accomplish our goal will be greatly appreciated.
Note from Judy: 4 Paws for Ability is an amazing nonprofit organization located in Xenia, Ohio. It provides highly trained service dogs in many areas, but does require that approved families raise funds to train the dog. Please consider this child whose life will change significantly upon receiving an assistance dog. Read the testimonials. Reading them could change your life. It changed mine.