Plainfield family raises money for seizure alert dog for 4-year-old girl
PLAINFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Bailee Wilbur, 4, was diagnosed with a severe form of epilepsy in summer 2018.
Wilbur’s mother Brittany Brackett said the seizure activity from Lennox-Gastaut syndrome began when Bailee was 11 months old. The girl had a brain bleed after birth.
Brackett said Wilbur’s seizures happen when they least expect it and is worried about her daughter’s quality of life in the future.
“She’s gotten severely hurt. She’s split her head open in the bathtub before; she’s gotten punctured wounds from standing next to bookcases and just dropping,” Brittany Brackett said.
Wilbur’s parents said she’s on three medications to help control seizures, but it’s not effective. They have been raising money for a seizure alert dog; however, it comes with a hefty price tag. Cannie Partners for Life said it can cost up to $30,000 for training, and there can be a wait time from two to four years to get one.
Tonya DiPilla is associate director of development and communications for the group that provides professionally trained service and companion dogs “There’s a higher demand for service dogs in the industry. I know at Canine Partners we’re limited of the number of dogs that we can place per year because we have dogs that come into our kennel for their second year of training and our kennel can only hold so many dogs.”
A seizure alert dog can detect a seizure 15 minutes before it happens and can take Wilbur to a safe place.
“We’re not 100% sure, but we think that they’re picking up on a change of scent that is emitted from the body,” DiPilla said.
Bailee’s mom said, “There’s just a lot of benefits that come with a service dog for her. I think anybody would attest if you have a dog, they’re nice to have around, they don’t ask anything of you but your love and attention.”
More than $3,000 has been raised online for a seizure alert dog. Click here to donate. Sources for families in need are CCI.org and MEdicalmutts.org.