Emily Progin, Content Manager
eprogin@helphopelive.org / 800.642.8399
Release: Immediate
LIFE-CHANGING $10,000 DONATION TO HELP LOCAL 22-YEAR-OLD
Medical Service Dog Training Means New Hope for Ever Wood
GERMANTOWN, Tenn.—This week, a generous donor made a life-impacting difference in the life of 22-year-old Everest “Ever” Wood (they/them). A $10,000 donation made to the nonprofit Help Hope Live in their honor will provide service dog training that will improve safety and independence for Ever.
Ever is living with dysautonomia and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which leads to mobility challenges as well as significant daily health risks. They have experienced sudden cardiac issues and heart rate spikes while at the grocery store or pursuing their education—they study book arts and hand papermaking at the University of Alabama.
While Ever says they live an active life with hobbies ranging from crocheting to writing poetry to running a D&D podcast, they are limited in their capabilities because of the daily impact of EDS.
“I’ve been mostly isolated for the last several years,” they explained. “It’s difficult for me to know when my symptoms are going to flare.”
There is one key pathway to greater independence and freedom for Ever: a service dog. A medically trained service dog can make a life-changing difference for individuals like Ever, alerting them in advance when their symptoms may be flaring up and helping them get to a safe place in addition to providing mobility support.
Medical training for service dogs is not covered by insurance, which has left Ever with a significant out-of-pocket goal as they fundraise with the trusted nonprofit Help Hope Live. That goal got a huge boost this week.
A donor pledged $10,000 to help Hope Live in Ever’s honor.
Added to the $1,000 that Ever’s community has already raised since April, there is hope for a brighter future.
“I want to once again be a strong-minded, independent person,” said Ever. “I want to live a life that IS for the ‘faint of heart’.”
Additional tax-deductible donations can be made at: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/23744/
Unlike a GoFundMe campaign, donations to Help Hope Live are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, and all funds raised will be managed by the nonprofit to cover verified medical and related expenses. Help Hope Live verifies medical and financial need for every patient.
Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that specializes in engaging communities in secure, tax-deductible fundraising campaigns for people who need a transplant or are affected by a catastrophic injury or illness. Since 1983, campaigns organized by Help Hope Live have raised over $188 million to pay patient expenses. ###
