Emily Nappi

Hey everyone,
As many of you know Lucas has been my amazing mutipurpose service dog for a few years now. He is trained to assist me with my mobility, cardiac, and neurological diagnoses and also is trained to assist with my PTSD as a result of being a first responder. Lucas has to hang up his superhero cape due to health reasons. He’s still my sidekick, just on a more relaxed schedule. Lucas is still hanging out as my companion, but I’m gearing up to welcome a new four-legged friend.
With almost 10 years as an EMT, my career has been a rollercoaster of challenges and rewarding moments. During the tumultuous times of COVID and its aftermath, Lucas was there, helping me navigate the chaos, offering comfort, and being a constant source of support. As I managed the physical challenges that led to my disability, Lucas was by my side, making each day a bit more manageable amidst the uncertainty. He helped me transition out of my career, a place I thought I would spend many years in.
Lucas wasn’t just a highly trained and skilled helper during those times but a loyal friend who made life easier amidst the chaos and the personal challenges I faced. Life throws curveballs, right?
I’m gearing up for a new adventure – getting a successor service dog through Joyful Paws Service Dogs, run by the fantastic Kasey Nash. Kasey’s got the skills, the certs, and the know-how to train a dog like no other. She’s a distinguished BUCS-certified and CPDT-KA-certified service dog trainer. Kasey is also an all around kind hearted and genuinely amazing human being and treats each dog as her own and has a client centered approach to training each dog to meet thier needs. Kasey’s specialization is helping people with complex disabilities often overlooked by large service dog organizations, ensuring that those facing intricate challenges receive the personalized assistance they need and deserve. Kasey will be training a mobility, PTSD, and neuro/cardiac dog for me.
But let’s keep it real – training a top-tier service dog comes with some bills.That’s where you come in. Whether you’ve got a little or a lot to spare, your contribution will help me and my new sidekick face whatever life throws our way.
The goal? Kick-off my graduate program in 2025 with my new highly trained service dog and work towards an Occupational Therapy degree. Plus, I hope this new dog will help me be an advocate for service dog handlers as I continue to educate the healthcare community about their invaluable role to their disabled handlers.
If you’re up for helping me tackle life’s curveballs, your support would mean the world.
I have chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse expenses related to obtaining a service dog. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button.
For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.
Thank you for your support!