Rob and Faye Kayne could not breathe. It was like the air had just been knocked out of them. They knew their son was a little different, quirky perhaps, but autism was not even on their radar. Their son was two years old and no one had even mentioned that word before. Sure their son was not talking, but he had met a lot of his developmental milestones on the later end. Besides, he was a boy, and boys talk late.
They were first time parents who were told by their pediatrician at an 18-month doctor’s appointment that they had nothing to worry about, but during the course of a ten-minute conversation with a therapist, which followed a seemingly harmless forty-five minute observation of their son, their lives changed forever. Today, Charlie is a 12-year-old boy with autism and severe apraxia. Besides going to school, he has several different types of therapies for hours a day, seven days a week. He struggles to accomplish what most of us take for granted.
Like all parents, Rob and Faye strive to do everything possible to give their child the opportunity to live a happy and healthy life, and to give him the best possible future. His journey is a marathon because autism is a lifelong disability, and there are always new challenges and hurdles to face.
A few years ago, Charlie began engaging with animals. It’s as if he is a different child when he is around them. While spontaneous speech is very difficult for him, Charlie began speaking to the animals – telling a dog’s tail to “move” because he likes it when their tail moves back and forth, asking for kisses or asking the dog to run with him. He loves the feel of the animals’ hair, wet kisses, or just being close to their face. The best experiences have come when Charlie has come into contact with a service dog.
There are many benefits to having a service dog. There are obvious safety and tracking reasons, and the dog will be a companion and a comfort for Charlie and thus his entire family. Skills fostered through working with a service dog can also increase Charlie’s independence and greatly enhance his quality of life.
Ohio based 4 Paws for Ability is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to place quality service dogs with children with disabilities. 4 Paws is the leading provider of specialty-trained dogs for children, and believe that service dogs should be made available to any child with a disability who wishes to have the love, companionship, assistance, and independence that are the result of service dog placement. To enable them to help as many children as quickly as possible, 4 Paws asks each recipient family to fundraise $14,000 to assist in placing the dog. By utilizing this unique fundraising model, each family is able to receive a service dog sooner than the typical two to five years they would have to wait with other nonprofit service dog organizations.
Charlie’s family would be grateful for any assistance you can provide during their journey. If you can help them with a 100 percent tax-deductible donation, please visit www.4PawsforCharlie.com. Please consider a donation to help Charlie Kayne with a special companion that will enhance his life.