I’m in shock. If I wasn’t so in shock, I’d be balling my eyes out (in a good way). Less than 24 hours after launching my Go Fund Me page, I’ve almost reached the amount I need to sign the contract tomorrow and take my dog home ($2,500). I’m humbled by everyone’s generosity and my heart is overflowing with gratitude. To everyone who has given and shared the site, “Thank you” doesn’t seem like enough.

Last night I went to sleep with a bundle of nerves. Have you ever felt like not starting something was better than miserably failing? Friends and family encouraged me to launch a Go Fund Me campaign, and I finally got up the nerve to do it. Will people understand why I need to do this? There are so many deserving causes. Will anyone give?

I had these thoughts while I was itching like crazy. Yes. Itching. Head to toe. What I thought was dry skin a few hours earlier turned out to be ANOTHER allergic reaction to the NEW medicine. I was in denial. I told Todd it wasn’t possible. How could I have developed an allergy to one of the only other medications known to help periodic paralysis?! Wasn’t that statistically impossible?

Since Todd caught it early, this time we skipped the ER, and we are following the same protocol at home with my doctors’ blessing. If it wasn’t clear enough before, I really REALLY need a medical alert dog. On to Prescription Plan #3, TBD.

So there was the storm. Today came the rainbows. The more people give, the more I feel rebuked. This journey to get a medical alert dog is a huge leap of faith that the money will be there by the time the contract expires. But I don’t have a choice. This the best chance I have to gain a better quality of life and last night was further confirmation this is the path I need to take. At least that’s how I’m choosing to look at it.

My second rainbow is that Ella came home with one. No really. Every day she’s graded on her behavior with a color chart. At the top is a rainbow. The first words out of her mouth after school are never, “Hi Mommy!” but always telling me which color she earned that day and why. This girl has loved rainbows ever since I can remember and has been working hard every day to earn one without success. Well, today was the day.

Right now, I don’t think my heart could be any more full. But tomorrow morning, it’s going to have to grow bigger. At 11 am EST, we meet the dog that could change our lives. Providing there is a connection, we will take her home to begin a new chapter of our lives.

I’ve been afraid to hope. Afraid to imagine a day my brain isn’t overworked to exhaustion, trying to calculate my triggers properly and yet care for my kids with their own special needs. Wondering I’m able to do more or if it’s just too risky. Not any more. Today is a day for hope.

https://www.gofundme.com/young-mom-desperate-for-medical-alert-dog?sharetype=teams&member=1567736&rcid=r01-154846218129-d346b74cf5ba499c&pc=ot_co_campmgmt_w