Our sweet Harper is a bright, happy, curious and determined little
girl. Her life began prematurely at just 34 weeks and it has been a
rollercoaster ride ever since the beginning.
Harper struggled to meet milestones and endured numerous doctors’
appointments and test after test to try and understand why. We finally
discovered that Harper has a rare chromosomal deletion (6q27 deletion)
which means she is missing a small portion of 1 of her sixth
chromosomes. There are less than 40 known cases of this deletion in
the world and therefore not much is known about it. However, it is
associated with Autism and Harper received an ASD diagnosis 3.5 years ago.
Harper has such a beautiful soul and she brings so much joy and
enrichment to our lives. She is a mostly happy girl but there are
challenges that come along with autism which a service dog could help
to alleviate. First and foremost, a service dog will be a true
companion and friend for Harper. For children with special needs
finding a good friend to talk to and play with is not easy. Harper,
like all children, deserves to have a friend.
Like many children with Autism, Harper suffers from sensory
processing disorder. This can lead to overstimulation, anxiety and
meltdowns in classrooms, crowds, events, etc. A service dog can help
provide comfort and calm Harper when in these situations and allow her
to participate fully in family outings and daily activities.Harper’s
dog will help to give her a sense of responsibility and can also help
to shift the focus from her differences. Harper is different but not
less and she is very deserving of this opportunity.
We are so pleased to be accepted onto the waiting list at Kingston 4
Paws and Harper cannot wait to receive her dog. As a family we are
committed to raising funds to cover the cost of her service dog and we
hope that our extended family and friends will help us on this
exciting new adventure for Harper.
