A young Kelowna girl who needs a service dog has received an outpour of community support thanks to a GoFundMe campaign launched on Thursday.
As of Friday morning, the fundraiser has raised nearly $4,000 of its $7,500 goal.
Alena had an in utero MCA stroke, which affected most of the right side of her brain.
She was born prematurely and was not breathing for the first seven minutes of her life.
She now has left-sided hemiplegic cerebral palsy, she’s epileptic and suffers from vision loss from a unilateral cataract.
Despite all of this, Alena is beginning the steps of walking and independence.
With the assistance of a service dog, Alena’s family believes she will gain the stability, endurance, and sight needed to become an independent child like her peers.
Serivce dogs can cost up to $15,000 but a family friend who owns K9 & Handler Dynamics, has offered her time and training for Alena.
With the initial costs out of the way, the family is still seeking $7,500 for costs associated with caring for the dog and specialty gear.
You can support Alena and her family at the GoFundMe page.
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