Kristen O’Neal

Hello,

My name is Kristen O’Neal and here is my story:

When I was 5 months old I was diagnosed with Epilepsy. I had on average 3 seizures every week and was on lots of medications. Fortunately, when I was 12, I was able to have brain surgery. I had a right temporal lobectomy which means I had my right temporal lobe removed. The surgery was successful in stopping my seizures and it has now been 17 years since my last seizure.

I am very thankful I had the surgery; however, because of a combination of medication side effects, seizures for 12 years, and the surgery itself I have been left with some developmental limitations both cognitive and physical. I have since been diagnosed with Autism, OCD, Depression, and Anxiety. These limitations include not being able to drive, not being able to process information effectively, not being able to complete some motor tasks, which greatly limits my independence. I have to depend on public transportation to get around which can be difficult for me to figure out due to my cognitive delays. I desperately want to increase my independence and I am working on it through therapies, but I am not going to lie my self-confidence is very low to the point that I feel I cannot do anything, and I will always have to be dependent on others.

This brings me to why I am reaching out. I am wanting to get a highly trained service dog to help me with my activities of daily living which, in turn, will increase my self-confidence thus making me more independent.