Lilly
Imagine walking down the street, and the sound of a car rushing by startles you making you look up. Just then your eyes catch the glare of the sun and the penetrating light is blinding. You smell something from across the street; you’re not sure what it is but its nauseating. Just then a person rides past you on a speeding bicycle causing wind to blow through your hair. The feeling of the wind is as if a strong hand is pushing you down, holding onto your soul. Your first reaction is the run but you’re not sure which direction to go, you only know you want out. If only you had an anchor, a rope, something to attach you to the ground and guide you through the chaos. This is what a service dogs can do for Lilly. It provides the confidence to walk down the street and know that someone is there to help you through what may feel like a storm of overloaded senses. This is what Lilly experiences daily, and a Service Dog will provide guidance and help to lead her through the chaos she experiences every time we leave the house.
It was exciting to be parents for the first time; we had so many ideas of what it was going to be like.
Lilly didn’t like to be held or touched as an infant which was heartbreaking. The only way to get her to eat was lie her on her back holding the bottle. It was painful as parents to watch Lilly struggle so early in life. When all we wanted to do was comfort her we could not without causing anguish. All we could do was love our sweet angel in ways that didn’t include contact. “Hi” was the first word Lilly spoke, and to our surprise that word came at eight months. Unfortunately this lasted for only a few weeks, and then she was quit until almost 16 months. We immediately sought medical guidance and began the process of occupational therapy.
They initially told us it was tactile defensive disorder, but what we saw went beyond that diagnosis. Lilly was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3. She is almost four and her struggles continue; mostly in social connections. Lilly loves to play at the park, and we were lucky to have a beautiful green park with a huge play structure near our home. We visited this park often, and on one particular blue sky and sunny day we were weighed down with a realization. We sat there watching Lilly play when a few other girls around the same age arrived. When they arrived Lilly began to play as an animal; she does this whenever she is uncomfortable. Immediately she began chasing these girls in the character of a roaring dinosaur. They ran away screaming and laughing and began mocking her. Lilly didn't understand that those girls were making fun of her. Lilly’s eyes were beaming with joy on that day, but one day she will understand the situation and realize how hurtful other children will be. Their parents noticed what was going on and began scolding the girls and looking at us with sorrow in their eyes. This was heartbreaking as a parent to realize the difficulties she is destined to face. A Service Dog can help Lilly to connect with people by providing a therapeutic relationship that is cultivated between Lilly and her dog. This relationship has been shown to attenuate anger, mood swings, and anxiety in children with Autism. Lilly has many meltdowns throughout the day, and a Service Dog will be able to quickly react and redirect Lilly in a way that will decrease the longevity and severity of the episode; this will improve Lilly’s quality of life.
Lilly suffers from extreme anxiety constantly that hinders many daily activities like eating on her own. If a cheerios falls from the spoon Lilly will begin to shake, scream, and cry-- meal over. It pains us to watch our little girl in such torment without any way of helping her. Her daily frustrations stem partly from her inability to rest at night. A scream breaks the silence of the night; it’s 4am and Lilly is awake for the second time. This begins a battle in the early hours of the day. It began with a night of restless sleep, midnight tantrums, and the inability to fall asleep without arms wrapped tightly around her body by her mother. Imagine sleep deprivation and the impact on your own life. Now imagine dealing with that daily, never ending, and unrelenting. A Service Dog would help end the mad cycle for Lilly by providing her with Pressure Therapy, something that she requires every night to sleep. When Lilly’s all night frustrations begin, the dog will lie over her stomach administering pressure to an area of the body that has been shown to lower anxiety and stress. A dog will give her a comforting touch throughout the night. Lilly, like many autistic children, suffers from sleeping difficulties that can have a profound effect on her ability to handle life throughout the day.
We found Little Angels Service Dogs when searching additional therapeutic approaches for Lilly. A service dog will be able to provide Lilly with the confidence to go out into the world and have the ability to interrupt the anxiety that plagues her young mind. The Service Dog will be able to help Lilly through her day-to-day tasks and provide Deep Pressure Therapy when life becomes overwhelming. Deep Pressure Therapy has proven to help Lilly, and that same pressure is the only way she is able to rest at night. We are looking forward to this life changing addition to our family. Please join us in our journey and help make this possible for children like Lilly.
