Lauretta Ward

My Story:

Hello everyone, and thank you for visiting my campaign page! My name is Lauretta, but most of you know me as Nikki. Outside of my health challenges, I am a vibrant, loving, and deeply positive person who loves life, brings warmth to those around me, and is driven by big dreams.

​For most of my life, I was the definition of fiercely independent and physically active. I was a strong, high-energy person who was always on the move, living life to the absolute fullest without a single limitation. Everything changed following a severe accident. Since that pivotal moment, my health has been on a difficult, progressive downhill journey. Transitioning from a life of constant physical activity to facing sudden, unpredictable episodes over these past several years has been incredibly hard on my psyche. It has been a deeply challenging mental and physical battle to watch my daily routine strip away. Yet, even through the hardest days of this multi-year battle, I pride myself on remaining a strong, goal-oriented woman. My absolute passion is entrepreneurship and community service—my ultimate dream is to establish my own professional business providing mobile notary and document authentication services here in the Baltimore area. I want nothing more than to serve others, stand on my own two feet, and build a thriving future as a female business owner.

​However, navigating daily life has become an uphill battle. I am living with severe medical challenges and physical episodes that cause sudden flares, drastically limiting my daily mobility and compromising my safety. Navigating daily life or stepping out into the world alone is currently incredibly difficult and dangerous.

​One of my biggest personal fears is becoming a burden to my family because of these medical struggles. I want to remain a pillar of strength for my loved ones, not someone they constantly have to worry about or assist with daily tasks. I know that true medical independence is within my reach, and my medical team has determined that a dedicated, highly trained Service Dog is an absolute medical necessity to get me there safely.

​This service dog will not be a pet—they will be an essential medical accommodation. They will be specifically trained in mobility assistance, balance support, and task-specific medical responses to help mitigate my flares and protect me during episodes. With a service partner by my side, I can safely regain my freedom, protect my family from constant worry, and finally launch my professional business.

​The Three-Phase Master Plan & Expert Partnership

​I have been doing extensive research to ensure this journey is built on absolute structural integrity. I have officially partnered with breeder and trainer Olivia Stein, the owner of Steinrock’s Standards right here in Maryland, who specializes in raising exceptional, service-vetted Standard Poodle bloodlines.

​Choosing a Standard Poodle was a deeply intentional medical decision. Beyond their incredible athletic substance and intuitive intelligence, a Poodle’s hypoallergenic, non-shedding coat is an absolute necessity for allergies. Furthermore, because this dog will accompany me everywhere in public and eventually into clients’ spaces for my business, a hypoallergenic partner ensures I am never tracking hair or dander into environments that could trigger allergic reactions in the people around me.

​Fully training a reliable service partner takes a dedicated two years. Because of the immense financial investment and the fact that a dog’s skeletal system and growth plates do not fully develop until they are two years old, I am launching this journey in three strict, responsible phases to protect their physical safety:

• ​Phase 1 (The Current Goal): Acquisition & Early Training Foundations. Securing our elite candidate ($2,500) from Steinrock’s Standards based on strict 7-to-8-week aptitude and temperament testing to ensure we select the highest-scoring candidate for service work. Following this, the puppy will transition immediately into an intensive 4-to-5-month professional board-and-train foundational program handled personally by Olivia Stein. This specialized phase ensures the puppy is expertly formatted in early socialization, focus, and public neutrality, while participating in vital home-visitation blocks with me to build our lifelong bond.

• ​Phase 2 (Year One Training): The Working Brain. Moving into formal, advanced public access obedience, environmental stability, and task-specific medical responses.

• ​Phase 3 (Year Two Training): Advanced Physical Mobility. Once the dog’s bones are fully developed and structurally cleared by orthopedic X-rays at maturity, we will fund the final advanced physical mobility tasks, steadying support, counter-bracing, and final service certification.

​Because a service dog requires an immense amount of time and money to manage, and because public environments can be unpredictable due to outside negligence, protecting this life-changing investment is a top priority. From day one, this puppy will be backed by comprehensive health insurance and full investment/mortality protection. This ensures that if any unforeseen medical emergency or tragedy occurs, our progress and your generous donations are legally and financially safeguarded.

​Our target timeline for Phase 1 is aligned with Steinrock’s Standards’ upcoming breeding schedule, with the puppy slated to begin formal training this winter. I am already proactively collecting and properly freezing my medical scent samples during my current neurological episodes so early scent-imprinting can begin on day one—a preparation strategy that Olivia has officially vetted and praised as excellent. Because I am currently unable to work at full capacity due to my health, I cannot fund this vital medical step alone. This is why I have partnered with Help Hope Live, a trusted national non-profit organization, to launch this community fundraising campaign.

​Where Your Support Goes: Phase 1 Launch

​To ensure total transparency, every single dollar raised through this campaign is managed directly by Help Hope Live and is strictly allocated to the critical expenses of launching this medical program. Our $8,000 Phase 1 goal directly funds:

• ​The Service Candidate Purchase: Flat rate for a top-tier, health-tested Steinrock’s Standards working candidate chosen strictly by merit and temperament testing ($2,500).

• ​Professional Foundational Training: 5 months of expert board-and-train directly with Olivia Stein at a highly accessible rate of $500/month ($2,500).

• ​Comprehensive Insurance & Investment Protection: 5 months of top-tier accident/illness pet insurance premiums, strict mortality value protection to safeguard the financial investment, and an upfront cash cushion for emergency deductibles ($800).

• ​Routine Medical & Vet Care: Complete puppy vaccination series (8, 12, and 16 weeks), deworming, and initial local wellness checkups ($400).

• ​Premium Growth Nutrition: Premium, high-quality large-breed puppy food designed to build the dense bone structure required for future mobility work ($350).

• ​Professional Grooming & Handling Maintenance: 5 months of professional grooming and handling desensitization visits to ensure the dog is completely calm and neutral to paw, nail, ear, and tool maintenance ($300).

• ​Essential Starter Gear & Setup: Heavy-duty safety crate, orthopedic bedding, early scent-imprinting glass storage kits, training treats, and the puppy’s first official service vests and patches ($350).

• ​Platform & Travel Processing Cushion: Covers mandatory credit card processing fees, non-profit platform transaction percentages, and local travel/transit expenses for our vital bonding visitation days ($80).

​How You Can Help

​By supporting this campaign, you aren’t just helping me secure a dog—you are directly funding my safety, my health, and my pathway back to an independent life where I can stand proud on my own. You are helping me build the bridge to my professional future.

• ​Donate: Any amount, large or small, brings me one step closer to my working partner. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

• ​Share: Please share my link with your friends, family, and on social media to help stretch our reach.

​Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness, your prayers, and your belief in my journey back to independence.

​With deepest gratitude,

Lauretta Ward