PHOENIX — Six-year-old Aria Shapiro is hoping to find a dog that can help keep her safe.
Dogs can do amazing things when it comes to helping people with physical disabilities. Some dogs can even be trained to detect seizures before they happen.
Aria lives as normal a life as a 6-year-old can live. She loves to sing and color. She’s energetic and confident.
“I am quite the smart head,” said Aria on a Zoom interview with 12 News.
At 3 years old, Aria was diagnosed with epilepsy caused by grey matter heterotopia, according to her mother Sarah Shapiro.
“Aria has had some seizures where, unfortunately, she’s had trouble breathing. Her oxygen goes down. Her O-2 levels and this is where you kind of head into a medical emergency,” said Shapiro.
Her health condition deteriorated even more in December when a battle with COVID-19 triggered her seizures and she was rushed to Phoenix Children’s.
“Aria went into status epilepticus and started having seizures that would not stop. She immediately stopped breathing and that’s where it led us to the ventilator where she was intubated,” said Shapiro.
Aria spent 22 days in the hospital.
She’s doing much better now but there are some lingering effects.
“COVID is causing some electrolytes to go low. Things like potassium and sodium,” said Shapiro.
The additional complications can cause more seizures and stop her breathing so Sarah is looking for a specially trained seizure dog that can alert her before the seizures happen so medicine can be administered.
“They smell the mucus or saliva. There are a lot of different things, from what I understand, they can sense. Also, putting their heads under the child’s neck to open airwaves,” said Shapiro. “I think having this seizure service animal would be really vital for our family.”
A seizure dog is expensive – upwards of $20,000 or more - depending on the training involved – which can take a year.
Shapiro is hopeful and the family is raising money through a GoFundMe page.
Aria has already thought of some names. “Precious if it’s a girl,” said Aria.
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