‘Elsa brought a whole new dimension to our family’
An Enfield family, whose lives have been transformed by an Autism Assistance Dog, is supporting ‘Be A SuPAWhero’, an ambitious fundraising campaign to raise €500,000 to reopen the waiting list for Autism Assistance dogs in 2022.
ANN CASEY
An Enfield family, whose lives have been transformed by an Autism Assistance Dog, is supporting ‘Be A SuPAWhero’, an ambitious fundraising campaign to raise €500,000 to reopen the waiting list for Autism Assistance dogs in 2022.
The fundraiser will run from 1st to 31st October and funds raised will go towards training a further 25 autism assistance dogs.
This will allow Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland (AADI) to reopen their waiting list in 2022 and offer more children the life changing support of an autism assistance dog.
Joanna Biggs whose son Lucas (12) has assistance dog, Elsa is rowing in behind the campaign.
“We were so excited when we were told Elsa would be joining our family. I was grinning from ear to ear. It had been a long seven year wait.”
She explained that life was difficult and was getting even harder, because of Covid-19.
“Lucas was at home a lot and it was getting harder and harder to leave the house. If we needed a break from the house or had to pick something up from the supermarket and it was unplanned we would use a buggy to take Lucas out.
“However, Lucas is a growing 12-year-old boy and was getting too big for the buggy. It was so stressful trying to manage these outings as Lucas didn’t want to walk and would drop to the ground.
“I became really scared for the future, what would it look like once the buggy was gone, what was I supposed to do. I can’t carry Lucas and I can’t persuade him to walk in those situations.
“The arrival of Elsa has brought a whole new dimension to our family. It’s a lot of work but I love it.
“In the house, I can see a change in Lucas. He loves being around Elsa, he looks for her, he wants her near, he wants her beside him on the couch or in the bed, which is something I‘ve never seen before.
“Going out is no longer what it used to be. The difference Elsa has made is mindblowing. Lucas will now walk, we can go to the supermarket, he’s interested in going to places. He’s brilliant at holding the handle and he’s delighted that he no longer needs to hold my hand. He has a bit of freedom.
“I’m more relaxed because I know Elsa will do what I tell her and that Lucas is safe and can’t run out onto a road.”
Joanna is asking everyone to donate what they can and help more families get their assistance dog and get back out into their communities.
“Elsa has allowed us to do just that, go out and about safely together as a family,” she said.