Judy Vorfeld’s Office Support Services

I’m Kameryn Parrett, and I was born with a condition know as hydrocephalus and Agenesis of the corpus callosum. Hydrocephalus is a term derived from the Greek words “hydro” meaning water, and “cephalus” meaning head, and this condition is sometimes known as “water on the brain.” People with hydrocephalus have abnormal accumulation of cerebal spinal fluid(CSF) in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain.

Agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC) is a birth defect in which the structure that connects the two hemispheres of the brain (the corpus callosum) is partially or completely absent. ACC can occur as an isolated condition or in combination with other cerebral abnormalities. Because of these conditions, I am usually in a wheelchair.

At the age of three I developed grand mal seizures. My first seizure happened on Halloween morning and then the day after Christmas I had a 75-minute-long seizure that resulted in a week-long stay in the hospital. Since then I have been on medicines to control seizures but I still have them. One of the things my 4 Paws for Ability service dog will be trained to do will be warn me and my family of an upcoming seizures. Right now, there is no warning, and Mom is constantly stressed. She doesn’t want to miss a seizure. This means she doesn’t sleep well at night.

People often mistake me for having autism due to the fact I cannot talk but use facial expressions and body language to convey my feelings. And sometimes I just have emotional outbursts. The thing is, sometimes in new places I become so overwhelmed that I get upset. I can’t exactly explain things to Mom.

Sometimes I communicate using loud screams and yells. I am not trying to be disruptive but I have a hard time communicating. This is upsetting to everyone if we’re in a restaurant or in church. If I had my own Service Dog, my dog could help calm me when I am upset. I can even teach my dog to play ball with me and pick up things that I can’t reach.

There are many things that would change if I had a service dog. Like Independence. Even a little would help. And maybe I could improve a bit in communication and social skills. Plus having a Service Dog would be calming for me. It may be hard to understand, but I can relate better to animals than people because we don’t have to talk. Mom could sleep better, and that’s a bonus!

A dog’s love is unconditional. I would love to have my own dog to sit on my lap or lay across my legs. I find the deep pressure comforting and relaxing. Also when I visit the park, the other children might like to come and visit and pet my dog so that I can enjoy socializing with other children, and hopefully, tell them about my dog someday.

I have my own blog at www.4paws4Kameryn.webs.com I need to raise lots of money for this dog to be trained for my specific needs. Please consider donating to 4 Paws for Ability in my name, Kameryn Parrett. It’s tax free.

Note: I highly endorse 4 Paws for Ability as a source for extremely well-trained service dogs. The organization is sound and its goals exceptional. Judy Vorfeld.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 9:22 pm and is filed under Animals, Disabilities, Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.