Exceptional Evan and His Seizure Dog

Exceptional Evan and His Seizure Dog
By Mimi Ausland

Proud Evan!

Evan Moss can't wait for next year when he gets his new dog and gets to "give him a big hug!" He has a huge reason to be excited for his future furry friend, because not only will he be a great companion, but he will also be a lifesaver. Literally.
Evan has epilepsy and suffers from severe, possibly life-threatening seizures. So when he and his parents (Lisa and Rob Moss) found out about a type of specially trained dog that can detect seizures and act to help him, they knew they needed to find a way to get one. That's when this amazing 7-year-old boy had the idea to write his very own book to help raise the $13,000.00 needed to buy a seizure dog.
It's one thing to have the idea to write the book and another to actually make it happen. But he did it – and did it really well. Evan wrote and illustrated "My Seizure Dog", available on Amazon.com. He even got to have his very first book signing where about 650 people came to buy the book and meet him. "The lines stretched out the door and down the block." Says Lisa. "We sold out of books and people still stood in line just to meet Evan". One of his favorite parts of the day was meeting service dogs. "There were 7 or 8 service dogs in attendance and Evan got to meet them and interact with them. He loves dogs and it seemed like every time he began to get tired another dog would come in and he would be recharged", Lisa says.

Evan at his book-signing

Everything about this story is exceptional. But the best part is that the Mosses have reached their fundraising goal to get Evan's seizure dog. In fact, he exceeded his goal and the extra funds raised will go to 4 Paws for Ability to help several other children in similar situations with their fundraising efforts.
Having this dog will turn Evan's life around. At one point, he was having 300-400 short seizures a month. Brain surgery stopped those from happening. But two years ago, much longer and more serious seizures started - the kind that can require serious medication and emergency medical response. Having a seizure dog can provide critical help.
The experience of Evan writing the book spurred Rob and Lisa to create the Seizure Tracker Web Site, a free and innovative way for epileptics (and other disease sufferers) to record and share the times and amounts of medications and events. The site has 8,000 registered users worldwide!
Despite having epilepsy, Evan is upbeat and excited about living life to the fullest. And in June 2012, when he receives his new dog, his life will become more full!
For more information, or to support 4 Paws for Ability, check them out here.